The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-04-01
STAKE THROUGH HIS
CHEST, He SURVIVES
Goth of Lanz's Lungs Transfixed
and One Arm Pinioned to
Body by "Edging"
PHYSICIANS DREW IT ALL OUT
Victim was Well In Ten Weeks After
Operation-Amazing Recovery from
Terrible Injury Described by Dr.
Highland.

'S'''H'S ''JN'J
Highland.
Utica. N. Y.--If you ask George
Lan2, How are you?" he answers
cheerily, Never felt better In my
life" And he speaks the truth. Rud-
dy. muscular and perfectly healthy,
Lauz, thirty-six years old. Is doing
tremendously hard work as logger
IN the Adrondacks. He has survived
an extraordinary accident.
4 shaft of wood twenty-three inches
long. transfixed his chest, piercing
his thorax through and through.
The stake on which LAM was I'm
palod was the edging from a rough
board, 1x3-4 of an inch at the small
end-the end which entered his body
on the left side-and Xxi IA inch at
the larger end, which was broken of
at the point of entrance.
The stake entered LanZ's chest ut
his left nipple, breaking rib. 1t pene-
trated his left lung then his right
lung, and finally, passed through his
right upper arm behind the bone, pin
ming the arm to his body.
DR.. e. M. Hyland, a distinguished
surgeon of this city. reported this ex'
traordinary case at the annual meet
ing of the New York State Medical
Society held in Albany the other day.
In the paper which DR.. Hyland read.
describing the accident and recovery,
he said:
al present to you the report of
case of thorax translation. which,
believe. to be unique in surgical re.
cords"
DR.. Hyland introduced LAM to the
assembled physicians. Lanz. "a strong
man rejoicing in his strength" dis
played the scars on his chest. but did
not seem to understand why he was
the object OF such curiosity.
In his paper DR.. Hyland wrote:
The case is that of George LAM.
Of Forestport. N. Y. On June IA. 1906.
he was operating an edging machine
in the lumber mills Of Pullman Bros.
at Fulton Chain. N. Y. The machin.
cry became stuck or blocked In some
way. and upon being released, in some
manner unknown to LAM. an edging
was broken of and driven through
his chest and arm. He was thrown to
the floor unconscious. but quickly re.
gained consciousness. When fellow
workmen reached him the board was
protruding from both sides of the
body.
The accident occurred at $50 In
the morning. DR.. Nelson and Lind.
sey. of Old Forge, were called and
rendered all possible assistance. plac-
ing him on train and accompanying
him to Utica, distance of fifty miles.
In the mean time had been summon.
ed to meet the train, which / did. and
by request of Mr.. Pullman, who ac-
companied him. LAM was conveyed to
st. Elizabeth's Hospital. where | pro-
ceeded at once. with the assistance of
Drs. Wetmore and Groman. to remove
the pieces of edging. l might add
that up to the time of administering
the anaeshetic LAM was perfectly
conscious.
'On two sides of the edging the
grain OF the wood ran in opposite d.
rections, and believing that the loose
slvers were already detached from
the edging. and probably imbedded in
the lungs, l deemed it advisable to
remove the edging by carrying it
through the direction in which 1t
had started. enlarged the openings
and with e great deal of force drew
1t slowly through the body.
THE hemorrhage resulting was in
significant. The right lung collapsed
below the seat of the injury. Upon
Inhalation and exhalation the air
passed freely through both openings"
l". Hyland further described the
treatment to the physicians Enough
TO: laymen to know that, although
Lanz's recovery was retarded by at
acks of pleuritis and empyema, he
returned to his home on Aug. 81, ten
weeks after the accident. his wounds
having nearly healed.