The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-02-29
A REMARKABLE OPERATION
Part of Spine Removed and Patients
Recovery is Looked For.


st: Louis Dispatch to the New York
World:
Joseph Pittoria, a miner from Bush,
ILL.,. will be -walMfng, about and doing
his regular work minus portion Of
his backbone If <he RECEIVERS from an
operation performed on him at the
Evangelical Deaconess' hospital a few
mornings since. ::
Fittoria, who had recently come
fl ON, Italy, was working in mine
at Bush. when cavein occurred. He
was buried under tons of rocks and
coal which broke his back in the
lu:l bar region. The mass of rock
fell OF his head, doubling him up and
crushing the transverse and spinous
processes of the first, second and
tnlru ,Vt.ttrhiae
The crushing of these bones imme-
diately affected the network Of nerves
which branch off from the spinal
cord at the point of injury
The. motor tract Of the spinal cord,
or those nerves which control
locomotion of the lower limbs, were
&c adened SO that he was paralyzed in
TIE lower half of his body. The SEN
sato1y tract, or those nerves. which
governed the senses were rendered
acute. Sc that the man suffered in
tense agony instantly, making it ne
cesSary to keep him under the in
fluence Of c. tes. So great was the
agony that he would have. succumbed
soon unless relievd by an operation.
According to information obtained
at the hospital, THE subject was on
the operating table three hours.
1t was believed to be necessary to
remove the arches of the three verte-
brae, take out the crushed bone and
reach the spinal canal, through which
the spinal cord runs to the brain, in
o, der to remove the mass of clotted
blood and .splintered bone which was
Pressing on the sensitory nerves and
causing the man such intense agony
Another difficult factor in the oper-
aion was the excessive hemorrhage
due 10 the crushed vertebrae, and the
TWO 2rleries which run up each side
of the spine, the wall of which were
torn end crushed filling the spinal
cavity with blood and spicula of
splintered bone. All during the oper-
alton Dr.. Menstrina was working
with his instrument under the flow
1T .o''od and entirely by the sels, Of
tvuc: 81:
The skin wasalifted back from the
seat of the injury and then the heavy
AZ u'>Clco lHdL Qdlu Tie spine were
| divided and lifted away, being held
out of the way,:by retractors SO that
the operator could get at fractured
/ bones.
| The periostcum, cartilaginous or
! fihscus substance which covers the
bones. was Clipped away and the
| spinous process, or the bone which
projects from the spine outward was
! cbise:ed and broken away by forceps.
| After the spinous process had been
| removed the operator was able to get
into the spinal canal through which
| the spinal CuiG runs to the BRAIN
For tie length of the three verte-
| b"ae, the spinal cord was lifted from
the canal with delicate instruments
anu the canal cleared of fluid and
| spicula, or splinters Of bone, which
/ were pressing against it. Then with
| forcepslike instruments the trans
verse processes were crushed and TAX
! eo out until all the bony structure of
the three vetebrae nearest the outside
Of the back had been removed by a
process of gouging, crushing and
chiseling, and all the while concealed
from the view of the operator by the
| blood,
The body Of the bony structure OF
! the spine, that which lies back of Oh
behind the canal, was left and form;
the bed or support Of the remaining
| por lions of the spine.
When the spinous and transverse
| vertebrate had been removed the ar
terror portion of the canal, a fibrou!
- substance, was cleaned and sewed a!
i a protection to the spinal cord, ant
the heavy muscles brought over ant
joined as an artificial. wall for tn,
canal.
DR.. Menestrina said that his patien
was doing as well as he had expect