The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-05-16
ARTERY SHIFTING
SURGICAL
TRIUMPH
Professor Flexner TranSplantS
Blood Channels of Animals
Amazing Future Seen-Thou.
sands OF Human Lives May be
Saved Through Initiative of a
Rockefeller Professor.

o>0>VO>O>O>O>O
After two years of experiment and
exhaustive study, Professor Simon
Flexner, head of the Rockefeller In
stitute for Medical Research in New
York City, has succeeded in trans
planting arteries from one animal to
another successfully, writes the Chi
cago correspondent of the New York
Press. That fact has been revealed
in q paper just read before the Ply
siOlogical Section of the American
Association for the Advancement OF
Science il. the University of Chicago
1t is the first time in the history OF
the world, surgeons assert. that so
difficult a feat of surgery has been
accomplished Whether the surgical
innovation will be perfected to such
a degree that it can be applied to
the treatment of aneurism and other
arterial diseases still is an open ques-
tion That, however, is the end
aimed at by Professor Flexner and his
assistants in the Rockefeller insti-
tute. 1t is admitted it is long cry
between performing such an opera
tion successfully on an animal and
performing it on a human being, bu.
surgeons are hopeful. The under
standing here is that John D. Rookie
Teller, founder of the institute. has
been keeping in close touch with the
experiments and is delighted because
OF their success.
Great Saving Of Lives.
1t is admitted on all sides that If
the experiments should be extended
to men and women with the same
success that has attended those made
on animals, thousands Of lives will
be saved annually in all sections Of
the world. Aneurism, for instance,
will lose Its terrors. and so will many
ether diseases of the arteries which
now are regarded as practically in
durable. Aneurism is localized d.
lation of an artery due to pressure
Of blood acting on part Of the art.
cry weakened by accident or by dis
ease.
A patient afflicted with this break
ing down of the walls Of the artery
simply would have to 60 to a hos
pital, get on the operating table, and
the surgeons would cut out the dis
eased section of the artery and splice
in a new section of corresponding
length and diameter taken from an
animal. Nobody denies that would
be hard on the animal, but 1t would
enjoy the DISTINCTION Of having died
to save human life.
I There are optimistS who assert a
somewhat similar process could bs
applied to the lungs, liver, kidneys
and other parts of the body, substitute
ing healthy animal tissue for IN
healthy human tissue. The profes.
sors in the institute make no such
assertions. They rest upon the plain
statement that they have demonstrate
ed conclusively, not once, but several
times within the last two years, that
arteries may be transplanted from
one animal to another and that the
second animal will live.
Text Not Made Public.
Professor Flexner could not come
to Chicago to read his paper on Ten
denotes in Pathology" which contain
ed announcement of his great surgical
discovery. He sent it to Professor
Ludwig Hegtben, who read it. Pend
ing its appearance in the medical
journals, the university officials refuse
to make the text public. 1t is known,
however, that Professor Flexner pre-
pared it with great care. SO no ex-
travagant claims would be made
which might bring ridicule upon the
institute. He would not even assert
that the principle could be extended
to human beings, but the framing OF
his paper on that point indicated
clearly he believed that ultimately
1t would be.
Many animals were sacrificed to
science in the institute before final
success was obtained. Experiments
were made on several kinds of beasts.
Most Of them were small, including
rats, mice, guinea pigs and rabbits.
Incidentally, Professor Flexner and
his assistants discovered, in their art
ery-splicing tests, important things
in relation to biological conditions Of
tumor growth. The paper, which pre-
saged such far-reaching effect on pa
biological problems. has attracted
much attention here.
Boon for Tumor Sufferers.
Take tumor, for instance, from the
layman's point of view and discuss
ing 1t as q layman would. one surgeon
said, "and it will be seen at once
what q successful extension Of the