davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
Spinal Anaesthesa Received With Skeptcism. but No
Such Hostility Greeted Earlier Experiments.

Ire sponge pressed on the Zap. the tying of
the blood vessels. the stitching OF the SKIN.
and the bloody dismembered limb lying on
the aoor."
DR.. simpson. n sturdy Scotchman. who
PLAYED a prominent part IN the warfare
against pain. tells OF himself as a medical
student he was 50 overcome by seeing the
terrible agony Of a poor Highland woman
under amputatiOn OF the breast that he
seriously considered abendoing his medical
career. He was spurred on. however. ~
the hope Of heing able 20 answer RS of
repeated question. can anything be done
20 make operations less painful
While one contemplates with awestruck
wonder -he herosm Of those who endured
the agony Of surgical treatment in the
DAYS before the discovery OF snRsthesia.
one must also marvel ~ the amazing stead
iness OF hand and head that enabled the
surgeon 20 proceed with his work despite
the agonizing plea6ings Of his patient The
remarkable Cheselden. who IN one hospital
alone performed upward % two hundred
lthotomieS. with results which modern
surgery has not surpassed. said:
IF have any reputation IN this way I
have earned Il dearly. for no ore ever en-
dured more anxiety and sickness before an
operation . A.. and II have had better
success than some others. 90 not impu,e
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
NARcoTIzEp OVER AN HOUR.

During the more than an hour consumed
in bringing the doctor 20 the house the
little negro remained profoundly marco
tized. The doctor succeeded in bringing
him 20. none the worse for his experience.
but the fright which the young people re-
ceived and the scolding which the doctor
gave them broke up the ether parties n
the neigh1o-hOOd-
Two years later. in ls42. the Young man
" no had administered the ether TO the
negro boy at the quilting" became 4
medical student in the Office % Or. CTaw-
ford ". Long. Of JeffersonvilIe, Ca
Or Long discussed with him and three
other students the inhalation % nitrous
oXid gas and ether, and together they
INDUCED II a number % ether frolcs n
the doctors Office Noting that OF vari-
Gus occasions, as they emerged from the
narcos.s. both he and MS pupils had bad
bruises or their bodies. indicating severe
falls. az wtich they were unconscious at
the ZINE these and other observations sug-
gested 20 Dr. Long the idea o. usins ether
10 prevent the pain attendant upon s1r-
Etcal operations. White, the student who
had etherized the negro boy, related his
experience on that occasion. and this en-
couraged his preccptor 10 give II trial
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26

as soon as opportunity presented itself IN
the form OF willing subject needing al
operation
DR. Long had 20 wait only short time
for the desired opportunity and on March
90. iS4. assisted By hts four students. he
removed a small tuner from the neck OF
male patient who had been rendered IN
conscious By the administration Of ether.
Or. Long lived in a village remote from
the marts OF trade. and surgical cases were
not frequent IN his practice. Ihe arst
operation under ether. however. was fol-
lowed by a second a few weeks later. and
by others from time 70 time as opportu-
mites came. There was no hospital near in
which he might have overcome his profess
siOnal reserve 20 the extent OF giving
public demonstration OF his discovery be-
fore he had proved its value and harmless
ness TO his own satisfaction, nor Is IL 10
be wondered az that ne did not rush into
the medical prints with what he had dons.
And so IL came about that. while there Is
indisputable documentary evidence 20 show
that Dr. Crawford W. Long. OF Georgia.
performed the first surgical operation upon
q patient previously rendered unconscious
by the inhalation OF ether. credit for the
discovery is denied him in many quarters
The time had arrived. however. when
progress could no longer be delayed and
when the perfection and dissemination OF
enc Of the greatest gifts which science has
conferred upon humanity were 10 be at
tanned.
Thus. two years after Dr. Longs first
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26

and with violent opposition from both pulpit
and pew.
Strange as IL may seem. the discoveries
Of Priestley IN i7s7, concerning the inhala-
ton OF gases through the lungs: the sug-
Eestion OF sig Humphrey Davy in IT'S. that
nitrous oxld Laughing gas) might be used
IN surgical operations: the assertion OF
Faraday in ISIS. that the vapor OF sui
phuric ether. ~ inhaled. would produce ef-
fects similar 20 that known 20 be caused
b. laughing gas. were overlooked by the
medical profession 50 FAR as their avliea-
ton 20 surgical procedure was governed.
And for another half century surgeons all
over the world went on cutting and saw
ing and burning the mutilsted tissues with
the red hot iron or cautery. to cheek the
hemorrhage which followed surgical pro-
cedures.
Meanwhile the chemical curiosi;ies. ether
and nitrous oxid. were inhaled by apothe-
carries cIefks and medical students Just
for fun for the purpose OF amusing their
friends. From England this method OF
amusement was introduced into America.
sno in come communities during the sos
and eos OF the nineteenth century many
a gathering of Young people was enlivened
by the antics OF those who had inhaled
ether. Upon the occasion of one OF these
ether frolts' IN 1853 at a country quilt
ting" near Athens. Ga, all the boys and
girls present had inhaled the ether one or
more times. some crying. others laughing.
stiu others dancing. and all doing more or
less excited talking.
Looking about FOR a new subject, a little
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
YOUR BOYS LIFE WORk---WF1AT SHALL 1T BE?

the Boston wire IN this way he learns
en- about the lavout II the orEce-which
wires are used 20 communicate with vari-
Gus places. Tire wiring and Gistricting Of
the country. &c
Then probably by tho tiue 10 is eiGh-
teen years old, he wiz be given key at
tached 20 "a comparatively little used
Toute and told that he Is 4 fun flcdEed oP-
orator HIs salary then VIII be about $40
q week al the beginning His advance-
n-ent 20 highly skilled operator al about
So week VIII aoc take long. az IL il
merely t.e requirement OF speed. which
lakes practice seine voung fellows Of
twenty are as rapid Us men OF thirty-fve
CT forty. and 4 man Is rated On the basis
OF his speed and 9ccuracv-
II a man desires 70 Hork Up 20 the high
est place simply as an operator. and is
known 20 he expert. ne viii likely Re So
lected 70 Join the star of The associated
Press, which pays from 80 20 81 week
10 us good operators. or b. sent into
cable or wireless Office. Wireless positions
are limited. however. and. for some rea-
son or other, most Of the cable positions
are hLed by Engllshmen: also. the boy
may take a Civil Service eramiultiOn ana
enter the government service.
But your boy. Vel say. has greater ar
biti0n, ana wishes 10 work up directly. So
he makes a moro careful study az the
routing o. messages. with the aim OF
becoming a trafnc chief
Suppose. for instance. that one OF the
Offices on a main line Is disabled-weI. Il
Is TIE duty OF the traffic chief 20 know
thar messages can b. sent there through
a roundabout way. The writer can recall
once when the wires between Vancouver
Il. g, and Seattle were down. and. though
these places we're less Than 4 hundred
miles apart. an important item OF news
from Vancouver was sent clear % 81 paul.
two thousand miles east. and back 20 S.
attic II Was TIE trafic Chiefs business 10
know and arrange this The usual pay Of
trafhe chiefs In ordinary Offices 4 from 3.
10 80 a week
Then. there = the wire chief who keeps
the once and line wires In order. locating
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26

Adam: and he slept: and he took one Of
HIS ribs. and closed I'D the flesh instead
thereof"
guments from their own side. Simpson
siIsnced the critics within the church. The
medical directors were siIenced by the sta
tistics Of the pre- and post-anesthetic
days Of surgery.
He showed that IN every ore hundred
cases OF amputation OF the thigh for In
stance. performed in various British hos
pitfalls before the discovery OF anesthesia.
forty 10 fOrty-ive OF the patients died.
The same amputation when performed
upon anssthetizsd patients. proved fatal in
not more than twenty-five in the one hun
dred cases. In other words. out OF every
one hundred operations OF this character
ansesthesia saved fifteen or twenty human
lives.
And II must be borne in mind that this
was IN the days before antiseptic surgery,
which has still more reduced the mortality.
Operations could now be undertaken with
inpunity which in the days OF pre-anas-
thetic surgery we're not TO be considered.
Thus many lives were saved which would
otherwise have been lost. and an ineaIcu-
liable amount OF suffering and sorrow
spared. The abdominal cavity. which be-
fore had been a terra incognita save 20 the
few brave surgeons who. like Mcdowell.
dared 20 enter IL. has become the play
ground. so to speak. OF the surgeon OF to-
day.
The brain. which no surgeon. however
bold. would have dared touch except in
cases OF accidental necessity. Is now ex-
plored with the same facility as is the
abdominal cavity. Operations upon the
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
RAISING OSTRlcHEs-

The first attempt 20 raise ostriches in
Australia was made by a Mr. MaIcorn
who IN lSSO brought 100 young birds from
South Africa TO South Australia. In the
following year the Parliament % south
Australia enacted a law which granted 20
the FIRST person who should exhibit $50
ostriches more than one year old about
400 acres OF land suited for ostrich farm
ing The conditions were satisfied by the
South Australian Ostrich Company. which
was founded IN iss5 with a capital ~
2i3sooo. The company received land near
Fort Augusta on Spencer BAY. but ia spite
% this assistance. che company has never
paid dividend. although h now possesses
lloo ostricnes. all OF which were Imported
from South Africa. Scientific American.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
CHAPTER XI
By C. ". Jennings

What boy has not felt his senses jingle
as he heard the click-click 81 a telegraph
key and watched the operator IN the local
station translate the mysterious sounds
into words and write them on yellow pieces
OF paper7 Maybe Il Is TIE novelty Of a.
al. or maybe II Is because the operator IS
getting from some far-away place instan-
taneously the news OF 4 death or an earth
quake or some other poTtentCus happening
before anybody else IN the community can
POSSIBLY know about Il.
Anyhow, the boy-eveTy boy. uearIy--has
wondered and longed about Il. ard has a
sneakinE notion that he would Ike 70
know what those audible dots and dashes
mean. But how 10 20 about il and what IL
might lead 70 Is as far from ms com
prehension as tire cause Of the man IN the
moon. All Re knows Is that che Of the
bigger boys got a Job IN the local station.
or one Of the younger ores o. messenger
BOY, and that after a while they knew how
90 work the key and take messages, ana
then went away somewhere
Won fathers. too, were once boys your
selves. and you also were mystihed and
IonEed. but something lured you into other
binds cf life work. Nov. however. maybe
Won are wondering n your boy hadn't bet
ter take up telegrsphy as business and
,eeone president OF the Western Union or
The Postal.
Wen, II is possible for your youngster %
reach that high place: for every one Of the
past and present officials IN these COM
NAMES. including Colonel Robert e. C!owry
president o. the Western Union, and Ed
vrard > sally. president Of the Postal. was
one Al the very bottom. as q messenger
tox and each and every one OF them
vrorkea risht 70 through the various lines
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26

II 20 more knowledge. but 10 the happiness
OF mind that was never rufied or discon-
eerted and 2 hand that never trembled
during any operation"
The great surgeon. Valentine Mott. OF
New York. said OF himself: How often.
when operating in some deep. dark wound.
along the course Of some great vein. with
thin walls. alternately distended and faced
with the vital current-how often have
dreaded that some unfortunate struggle OF
the patient would deviate the knife a little
from SIS proper course. and that !. who
fain would be the deliverer. should irvol-
unfairly become the execrtioner. seeing my
patient perish in my hands by the most
appalling form Of death"
Imagine. then, the scientific hardihood OF
the father OF abdominal surgery. that
rugged Kentucky mountaineer. Ephriam
Mcdowell. who first entered that terra IN
oognits, the abdominal cavity. IN the days
OF pre-znasthetic surgery
Imagine. TOO. the marvellous courage %
his patient. Mrs. Crawford. who journeyed
sixty miles over the rugged country 70 IN
dergO the removal OF an ovarian tumor-a
procedure which she knew fuu well 70 &c an
Untried experiment. and 20 which she
braveley submitted. with not even a mild
narcotic 70 alleviate the pain.
Il is not 10 be wondered al that The
medical world. so long accustomed 70 such
strenuous demands upon the courage Of
both patient and surgeon. should receive
with doubt and aTnazement the announce
ment that the means had al last been
found for inducing that deep sleep" that
death 10 pain. the production o. which had
been the dream % al the ages. No wonder
the Yankee Dodge for making men in
sensible" was received VITA skept.cism by
the medical profession IN seine quarters,
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
District Messenger Seems LowIy Start. But Many
Have Risen High From That Foundation

70 the top. TIE probability OF getting there
i5 not TOO bright. howevsr, for. you know.
there are only two presidents. and tele-
graph company presidents have wsy ~
living for a long time. even o. some thou
sands az ambitious young men are anxious
20 take their places Yet IL IS possible. al
the same aud YOUR boy may be- tGc on. o.
pick the coveted plum.
Well your boy IS 20 start out a. teIc-
graph messenger ~ fourteen or sixteen or
whatever the age that the state child labor
law viii let him 90 10 work. lie applies
et the nearest office where messenger are
employed. and has htrle difficulty .n get
ting a Job. because the requirements are
few. practically nothing more than being
able 10 read and write and 20 move around
spryIv. Then he gets his uniform and cap
snd goes 70 work for zen hours d day a.
from 81 20 Sc q week
Practically all bis work az the start Is
70 deliver messages and run eTrauds for
customers and the boss. but le viii find
that inquiries about learning telegTaphy
are encouraged. and that h. VIII be given
every opportunity 10 unravel its mysteries.
Ambitious boys OF that age are rare you
know. and when one comes along that IS
IN earnest he is given every opportunity 20
get On
Before long. probably within two years
az the most. your boy viii have acquired
pretty good general knowledge Of the
Morse code and how 20 send and receive
messages. Then be viii md himself
transferred from the messenger gang 10
the operating room az an advance of about
s. a week. where he VIII be occupied
largely In gathering up messages and put
ting them into envelopes 20 be sent out.
and IN transferring messages from among
the various operating desks. That Is. a
message IL received Ia New York from
Chicago and has 20 be relayed 10 Boston.
and lie has 10 take Il 20 the operator al
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26

operation under ether. Dr. Horace Wells.
dentist. OF Hartford. Conn. successfully
gave nitrous oxide gas In the extraction OF
teeth He attempted 10 give a demonstra-
tion % the method in the Massachusetts
General Hospital. but the demonstration
was failure. presumably because the doc
tor was afraid % give enough OF the gas
70 produce The desired state of inseasibiIity.
The occasion was brought 20 an undignified
close By the bowls % the subject ard the
hcots and Misses Of the spectators
Two wears cftsr OF Wells's discovery his
pupil Dr. W. T. .. Morton. a DENTS, Of
Boston. after experimenting il private with
the administration OF ether. gave a SUCCESS
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
THOUGHT PAIN DESIRABLE.

Or. Simpsons discovery Immediately
raised I storm CO protest, both within and
without the medical profession. In an
article in the Edinburgh Medical and sur
gical Journal July, 1877. on the "Injuri-
Gus Effects Of tie Inhalation Of Ether 10
was held that pain during operations was.
IN the majority OF cases, desirable, and It's
prevention or humiliation. for the most
part. hazardous 20 the patient. II was
further held that in the iying-in chamber
nothing was more true than this. Tor pain
is the mothers safety. its absence her de-
structor." Yet" the writer continued
there are those bold enough % admins
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26

Carlyle says In effect that history. % be
properly written. describes not only the
habits OF the people but their mode OF
dress. Accepting this dlctum. we mention
for the use OF the future historian that the
popularity OF aviation Is seen in Paris in
ehildren's toys and dress. The small bows
have their miniature flying machines at the
Tuilertes and at the Champs EIysses. In
place 81 a ships name on their hats thew
have ri5hoa Of black bearing in gold ler-
tiers the name OF "A celebrated avi1tor
kleriCt or Lambert. for instance ana 10
their tiders they they sometimes say. wnen
passing, As-tu Va Lambert e'-I .Oncen
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26

az as high as $4,000 a year. and TO super
intendent OF telegraph, az a little more. and
thence into higher Official positions. For
example. President \. ]. Earring OF the
Chicago, Milwaukee & 81. Paul is a for
mer train dispatcher, and Sir William Van
Horne, one OF The builders OF the Canadian
Pacific, also once operated trains az the
telegraph key. They are only two examples
OF railroad nlen OF prominence who started
in as small station telegraphers. There are
about forty thousand operators IN railroad
ing to-day.
Ccoqyrisht. 1900. BY The Associated Literary
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
THE FUTURE OF ANAEsTHEsIA.

Recalling the early religious objections
20 surrendering "hOld upon that noble ca
pacity Of thought and reason" and reaIiz-
ing the inherent unwillinsness OF man 70
give himself up 20 the little death IN life"
the question arises. will these newer
methods OF suspending sensation without
the suspension OF consciousness replace the
older method or complete general anaes-
thesia BY the Inhalation OF vapors or
gasese"
The future VIII doubtless answer ths
question IN the negative. Regional ansss-
thesia, commonly designated as local anses-
thesia, must OF necessity remain very
largely limited IN IT'S application 10 surface
surgery. II Is hardly 70 De prophesied that
the future will find surgeons willing 20
undertake.. OF patients willing to submit, 70
prolonged and delicate operations upon the
vital organs. for example. under local
anesthesia.
The advocates OF spinal anRsthesia. hold
thar this method IS applicable to any opera
ton upon any organ or part OF the body.
The brilliant work OF DR.. Jonnssco would
seem 20 substantiate this claim. But the
method Is too new and the statistics too
limited for any very accurate prophecy "a
70 the extent OF its application IN future.
From the figures as they stand to-day ir
Is fair 70 Judge that other methods VET
must be discovered before the work OF the
last half century Is undOne and anssthesia
By Inhalation relegated % the category or
discarded procedure
The reported deaths due TO ths anes-
thetic per Sc IN the different cases are "a
follows:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
JENNY LIMBS MopEsrX

10 g. not afectatiOn when one saws n.
himself, Il feel the power within me To a..
this thing but the self-reliance every one
pOsse sses who rises above the common aV-
eIage or mankind, and sometimes il
coupled with divine mOdesty
When Jenny Lind sang IN the streets %
san Francisco Tor char.tys sake. her song
VITA Us enSnantinS power. sWayed the
bearers giOwed as the unfolding OF he-
beautiful spirit lifted Their souls out ~
sorr0W and selnskness And when nav
showered her with praise OF her WONDERFUL
gift. she replied.
Isn't II nice can sing soe''-Spare Mo-
ments.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
BRAVE MEN FEARED SURGERY.

MANY instances appear IN the annals OF
r-e-auassthetIc surgery 20 convince Us
f1at che dread of tho surgeons knife was
rot confined 70 nervous women and timid
children. Brave men, undaunted by the
~ scncies OF war. 10 whom fear VAS or
r. narilv unknown. cringed before the sur
reo- Ike TIE veriest coward f. battle
E-ror. the great naturalist preferred
death 20 POSSIBLE relief from calculus BY
F-u1cal removal OF the stone
one o. the hravest admirals % the
English service. who through his long
ard srleudld career was looked upon as
ire impersonation % dauntless heroisn,
found 10 necessary IN HIS old age 10 under
g. a surgical operation for the removal
90 q t-mor. Il Is reported that this man.
WHO never feared death m its most sp-
pal..lg form while IN tie discharge OF
r. ny. now shrank from the surgeons knife;
t7e removal. contemplated with feeling
az horror almost akin 10 fear. was long
ce.erred and a. length. half stupened
by opium though he was, most unsteady
TauerI cio be prove during the operation
ne horrors % an operation IN tho pre-
sIasthetc DAYS are wildly described m a
letter o. Sir James Y. Simpson. written o.
g fellow surgeon who had found himself
playing the role Of patent The operation
Vas e more tedious one than some which
involve rnuch greater mutilation- u neces-
stated cruel cutting through infiamed and
Horticly sensitive paris. and coulc not be
dispatched b few strokes q the KNIFE
@ the agony Il occ2sionec J VIII say
nothing Suffering 90 great a. ! underwent
c2nnot be- expressed IN words. and thus
fortunately. cannot be recalled
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26

negro boy was discovered az the door. an
astonished spectator. lie was dragged in.
screaming and fighting. and the handkeT-
chief saturated with ether was held 10 his
nose. He was then released. while the
crowd waited for his antics 20 begin To
their amazement and horror, he lay upon
the floor, seemingly dead. The girls pre-
cipitately left the scene, while the boys
sent posthasts FIVE miles 20 Athens for
doctor
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
NENTAL HORRORS ENDURED.

1he particular panEs are nov forEotten.
elt uls bank whirlw.nd OF emotion. the
horFar o. great darkness. and tie sense OF
osScru0n hy COO ana man. bordering close
-poa esspsir which swept through my
INC ard overwhelmed my heart, ! can
'eFer forget. however gladly I would 90 50.
] stlA recln with unwelcome vivid
'ess tls spreading out q the Instruments.
- twisting q the touralquet, the arst IN
NsoI. the nnger;ns o. the sawed bone.