Bisbee daily review., 1907-09-07

Heart surgery, or the practice of operating directly on the living or gan itself, is just now attracting wide spread attention. A number Of ex- ceedingIy daring operations have been carried out, in some instances, with amazing success. Within few adys a German surgeon has announced that he has, he believes, succeeded in restoring life shortly after death by vigorous and direct massage of the heart. There are a number of cases on record in which the heart has act ually been operated upon and sewed up, as in ordinary wounds, the pa- tient actually recovering. The possi- bilities of this department of surgery are, of course, immeasurable.
 Elaborate experiments have been conducted recently upn the hearts of dogs. Tn living organ has been laid bare and various operations have been carried on. While in maSy of these cases the animals have after wards died the number of those in which the operations upon human beings give at least great promise of success.
 In the many cases recorded of oper- ations upon the hearts of human be- ings, as well as in the case of the low CT animals, when the subjects have died, death has been due to blood, or septic, poisoning. The danger of blood poisoning in such cases is nat. urally very great. This, however, tends to prove that the actual danger of the operation itself Is not insur. mountable. In cases where the heart has actually been cut and again sewed up death has been caused by the tearing out of the stitches. IL will be readily understood. of course that since the heart is constantly in motion. even yiolent motion. such stitches are likely to tear through the flesh, when death quickly fol lows. That the living heart has act 1sliy been laid bare in many in stances and daring operations have been successfully performed is suffi cient promise for the future. 1t 1! believed, of this department of sur gerry.
 The history of these cases readi like a romance. A few years agC such operations would have been en tireiy impossible Doctor Samuel G Tracy. of New York, a specialist il diseases of the heart, has compilet a list of such operations which vii doubtless come as surprise to nos laymen. It seems that wounds of tn heart, according to the records, ar generally due to an incision from
 stab or a puncture from a hat pil or perforation from 6 bullet. Othe injuries may be due to contusions. a in the breaking of a rib. in which
 splinter of bone penetrates into tn heart walls. Severe injuries of thi latter type may take place without fatal ending. When injuries talk place which penetrate into the cav ties of the heart the consequences ar very serious.
 In bullet wounds of the heart an c. easionally fatal result may obtai without the detection of an appareu wound in the walls of the heart. curious instance of this kind is re lated by a Canadian physician. Il this ease the pericardium, or wount although of the right-yentricle of tn heart contained a wound large enoug to admit two fingers. It is eviden that the elastic perardium was drive, before the bullet into the hear while the ventricle was forolbIy dii tended with blood. Upon antoDsy th ball was found loose in the cavity ( the heart. Laceration of the neai from external violence, often of
 fatal character, occurs without lea, ing any trace of injury on the ski As rule, penetrative wounds of th heart are fatal. However, there ar numerous cases on record which sho