Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-09
.LABORER' 'SBROKEN
BACK IS MENDED
Surgeon Performs Rare Opera
ton on MutiIated Verte-
brae of italian

PHILADELPHIA Nov. S.-With back
broken and more than half of his body
paralyzed, Joseph Wnoto. an Italian,
aged "a years, is lying in the German
town hospital with an excellent chance
of recovering from his injuries, as the
result of a remarkable surgical opera
tion performed yesterday morning by
DR.. Charles Mitcheu of this city. The
operation, whichc necessitated the re-
moval of shattered pieces of the ver-
tebrae and a bloody tumor, which was
found resting on the spinal cord, as
we'll as the reduction of a. dislocation
of the twelfth vertebra, was witnessed
by number of physicians and nurses,
who were present by invitation, and
who expressed the opinion that the
case was one of the most remarkable
ever brought to their attention.
WuotO was injured while making an
excavation on grounds of the Nelson
Valve company at Edge HILL Mont
gomery county. He was working al
the bottom of a tWelve-foot hole when
the. embankment of dirt and stone gave
way and buried him from sight. Eel
low workmen labored heroically to eX-
tricate him, and ne was sent, more
dead than alive, to the hospital. He
regained consciousness, however, short
ly after reaching the institution.
Having a broken back, it was be-
lieVed at first that his case was hope
less and that he would die, but Drs.
Swartley, Bowen and Parker deter
mined to leave nothing undone to try
and preserve his life, and so sum-
moned Dr. Mitchell, who decided to
adopt heroic measures and perform an
operation. Following the operation,
which was of an extremely delicate ma
ture, the patient was placed on a heavy
water bed, with weights attached to
his legs to prevent any possible move
ment that might disturb the readjusted
and weakened spine.
The case has attracted considerable
attention throughout the city, and
many doctors who had heard of the
operation telephoned for information as
to the progress being made in the pa
tents condition, which at late houI
last evening was reported as being
quite favorable to recovery Many ply
sicians also called at the hospital tC
ascertain further details of the rare
operation.
Wuolo, according to a statement
made yesterday by his two brothers
who called to see him at the hospital
arrived in this country from Italy
about one year ago, taking leave of his
wife, whom he promised to bring tc
Philadelphia shortly.
STRANGER VOLUNTEERS
Another surgical case that is attract
ing considerable attention, because oi
the interesting facts brought to light
concerning blood TRANSMISSION, is that oi
Miss Eva Rosenstein of I'll Nor
ris street, a patient in the Jefferson
hospital, whose life is believed to have
been saved by the injection into hel
arteries of blood taken from Simeon
| Taylor, of Wilmington. Miss Rosen-
stein, who but last week was thought
to be dying, a victim of perniciouS
anaernia, could only be saved, the ply
sicians said, by radical treatment.
Her blood, when examined, showed
only a 10 per cent haemoglobin count
when 100 per cent is normal She was
under the care of DR.. Francis L. Stew
art, and he said the TRANSMISSION OF
blood was the last resort, and promptly
| a number of heroic young men Offered
to save the young womans life.
DIR. e. j. Klopp, who is Dr. Stewart
first assistant, prepared blood count
of each volunteer, only to find in every
case the blood was incompatible" with
that of the patient, until he made 6
test of Simeon Taylor of Wilmington
whom he found to have blood of just
the right consistency. Taylor, though
a patient in the hospital, and While un-
acquainted with Miss Rosenstein, was
willing to have the operation per
formed. Yesterday Miss Rosensteir
was in a much improved condition, the
haemoglobin count increased from II
to Al per cent and her chances for re-
covery are excellent.
Speaking of the matter yesterday
DR.. Klopp said: 1.-THE average laymar
does not realize that any blood will not
do; it must be blood of the same type
why, medical science has made suct
strides that we now know that the blood
of certain consistency is absolute
poison to some people, and only wher
lust the right kind is at hand it is
worse than useless to perform trans
fusion. This is a record case and is
doing wonderfully WELL"
HOW 1T WENT