Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-30
ILLNESS OF DR.. STAFFORD
INDICATIONS THAT CRISIS IN
CASE rs REACHED.
Eminent Divine to Undergo Opera
ton at Providence Hospital-His
Congregation Solicitous.

Announcement made in St. Patrick s
Church yesterday that all members of the
congregation should pray for the success
full outcome of a surgical operation to be
performed upon Rev. Father D. J. Stat
ford carried the first intimation that a
crisis has been reached in the illness of
the eminent divine. DR.. Stafford left the
rectory late yesterday afternoon and will
submit to the surgeons knife at the Prov
idence Hospital at IL O'Clock tomorrow
morning. The operation to be performed is
a very unusual one, being calculated to
overcome an obstruction to the flow of
blood through the liver. In the brief jour-
ney to the hospital DIR. Stafford was &C.
companied by his brother-in-law and sis
ter. Mr. and Mrs. Alfred L. Whitton of
this city. and by his trained nurse, Miss
Anna Trainor.
The operation will be performed by
DIR. George I. Vaughan of this city, as
sistant surgeon general of the United
States public health and marine hospital
service, with four eminent physicians in
attendance and assisting. These will be
Dr. Sinclair Bowen and DR.. George N.
Acker of this city; DR.. Lewellys F. Barker
of the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Baltimore.
and DR.. George Emerson -rewer of the
Roosevelt Hospital. New York.
ASAASoL1SA Va 04SSoSCSs
DR.. Staffords illness has extended over
many months in more or less aggravated
form. The physicians say he Is suffering
from complication Of diseases, but prob
ably all leading back to corrhosis of the
liver. and it is to correct conditions in
this important organ that the operation
will be peri )'med. In the summer Or.
Stafford vent tt. Atlantic City in the
hope that the chanN;a mis- henefl~ial
and he was apparently much nmpro:ed
when he :s.u-'ned to Washington ami re-
sumed his duties IN the church.
DR.. Bowen. who has had charge of DR..
Stafford's case, has for some time been
comforting with Drs. Vaughan, Acker. Bar
ker and Brewer, and at a final consulta-
ton last week an operation was decided
Upon. 1t was found necessary to relieve
the impeded circulation caused by the
malady of the liver, which has been ag-
gravated by recent attack of grip. The
operation will be of an unusual character
and important from a surgical standpoint.
1t involves the opening of the abdominal
cavity and the establishment OF a COL
lateral circulation from the liver, the pur-
pose being to enable the blood, which is
now INSTRUCTED and cannot pass through
the liver, to circulate around the liver on
its way back to the heart. This will be
accomplished by sewing a number of Blood
vessels together just outside the liver.
Oellcate operation.
In the abdominal cavity near the liver
is a fold known as the omentum, which
contains a great many blood vessels. In
the operation a number of these blood ves-
sells will be connected surgically with
superficial vessels near the skin. This
juncture of blood vessels will, it is hoped,
convey to the heart the blood which is
now obstructed by the liver. and the join
ing of blood vessels will be of perma-
nent character. However. the vessels
leading to the liver will not be discon-
nected, and If that organ resumes its nor
NAL functions the blood will ultimately
pass through the liver and partially
around it.
geon general of the United States public
health and marine hospital service, who
will perform the operation, has been pro-
lessor of surgery at Georgetown Uni
versity since 1897. He is also a staff
surgeon at the Georgetown University,
and was brigade surgeon in the 7th
Army Corps during the Spanish-American
war. He graduated in medicine from the
University of Virginia and the Bellevue
also studied in the New York Polytechnic,
Jefres~on Medical College, Philadelphia,
and the University of Berlin.
Rev. Dr. D. ]. Stafford is one of the
best-known clergymen in the country.
He has attracted wide attention as a
nown as a lecturer. His lectures upon
Shakespeare are considered rare inter-
pretations Of the work of this celebrated
author.
At the Providence Hospital this after
noon it was stated that DIR. Stafford
rested well last night, and there has
been no perceptible change In his condi-
ton today.