Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-28
PLLSATING
HEART TAKEN
FROM BODY
SURGEONS PERFORM MARVEL
AT HOSPITAL
WOMAN HAD BUT ONE CHANCE
IN A THOUSAND
While Organ Beats in Assistants
Hand, Doctors Sew Punctures
in Lungs and Drain
the Wounds

That Mrs. Sophie Miller of Bakers
field is alive is entirely due to daring
and desperate surgical operation per-
formed at the city receiving hospital
yesterday morning by DIR. e. H. Gar
rett, assisted by Drs. Sumner j. Quint,
Joseph b. Tanner and Clarence Cook.
If Mrs. Miller lives her case will go
down in surgical history as one of the
marvels in the world of surgical science.
Yesterday morning Mrs. Miller, driv-
en- desperate and urged on by her hus-
band, it is alleged, came from Bakers
field, and after engaging a room in a
lodging house, took a revolver and fired
shot through her body which under
ordinary circumstances must have been
fatal within few minutes.
The bullet entered the body on the left
side, between the fifth and sixth ribs,
plowed its way through the flesh It's
sues and muscles, cut the pericardium
at it's lowest point, punctured the lungs
in three places and passed out through
the back within the fraction of an inch
Of the spinal cord.
The woman was discovered within a
few moments after she had fired the
shot. The police ambulance was called
and she was rushed to the receiving
hospital, where she was placed on the
operating table.
Had Slight Chance
The woman had but one chance in a
thousand for life. That one chance was
daring operation, such as few sur
geons in the world have attempted, but
to give her that one slight chance DR..
Garrett determined upon the operation
which was performed.
The fifth and sixth ribs were resected,
the sternum showed to one side and the
woman's heart removed from her body
and the pericardium sewed up.
Then, while this organ of life was
in motion and pulsating in the hands of
one of the assistants, DR.. Garrett
sewed up the three punctures in the
lungs and washed and drained the
wound through the back.
The woman's heart was then restored
to her body and she was given such
stimulating drugs as were necessary,
and was later sent to the county hos
pital for treatment.
At a late hour last night she was rest
ing as easily as could be expected, with
about an even chance for life.
The operation performed upon her has
few precedents in the surgical world,
and but one or two of like nature have
ever been SuccesSful.
Removes Heart from Body
It is a rare and delicate thing to
remove from the body as vital an
organ as the heart, sew up the sack
enyeloping it and restore it to its po-
sition without stopping for an instant
it's material functions.
In this case it was necessary in order
to get to the wounds in the womans
lungs to hold the heart out of the way
and out of it's normal position for sew
eral minutes in order that the surgeon
might reach the punctures in the lung
tissue and join them with the silken
sutures.
That this was done successfully re-
fleets a great deal of credit on the
operating surgeons, and the marvel of
It all is that the woman came from
under the shock of the operation ap-
'parently stronger than when she was
placed on the operating table.
According to the story related by the
police who investigated the case, Mrs
Miller came here from Bakersfield yes
terday morning with the expressed in
tention of killing herself.
She alleged she had been urged to
do the deed by her husband, who, she
said, furnished her with the weapon
with which she shot herself.
The woman arrived in Los Angeles
about $3.50 o'clock and went directly
to the Boston rooming house, 448h
South Main street, where she rented
a room for the day.
Hears Revolver Shot
About an hour after her arrival
Frank Barnes, the proprietor of the
house, heard a shot and calling to his
son and wife rushed to the room oc-
cupied by Mrs. Miller They found
her lying on the bed with a revolver
clutched in her right hand. Mr.. Barnes
then summoned the police. On the
table was found the following letter.
ITO those who think l am worthy
of consideration: Walter said he would
take me where / could not come back,
so he took me there. You can sell the
little berry ranch and with the pro-
ceeds take your little Brownie back to
Linwood cemetery in Dubuque, Iowa.
May God forgive both you and me.
maybe that little girl in Galena,
ILL.,, with lots of money is still waiting
for you. You showed me the way and
did the planning.
keep on smiling There is a way
to the Lille Patch. With my help
you'll win the game you won maybe
on this earth. | hope the Master will
say, Mary, come, though wanton she
may be-.
"Notify my folks at home. AS ever,
SOPHIA, alone.'
There were several other letters
found in her purse which showed Mrs.
Miller and her husband had been
quarreling recently.