Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-08
USE KNIFE ON BOY
TO CURE TRUANCY
Operation on Brain Removes the
Pressure of Broken Bone.
Lad Is Game
GRITS TEETH AND IS QUIET
Surgeons Remedy InfantiIe AC-
cident to Alter Tendency
to Run Away
GRITS TEETH AND is QUIET

Tvelve-year-old Arden Bennett was
cured yesterday of an inordinate de-
sire to run away from home by an
operation performed on his brain by
surgeons in the Children's hospital At
least this is the hopeful and confident
view of the surgeons and the boys
mother, who believe that the strange
phantom which possessed the boy,
causing him repeatedly to leave home
in quest of something inexplicable and
mysterious, was due to the pressure of
bone resulting from a growth due to
fall when he was two years old.
This pressure is believed to have af-
fected certain cells of the brain, caus
ing the boy to have an abnormal de-
sire to leave the family fireside, The
youth came out of the operation sue
cessfully and when he RECEIVERS he is
expected to be just as normal as any
other child and to have as much love
for home and brothers and sisters,
father and mother, as any healthy
boy should.
1T was ten years ago that the child
fell and cut his head" said the mother
yesterday after tho operation had left
her in hopes as to her boys future.
apparently the fall had no bad eff
fects. but about two years ago-or
maybe not so long as that--he began
TO run away. He always came back
when VIC didn't find him and he never
was dissatisfied with his home or un-
happy in it, So we began to wonder
about that fall, and his teacher helped
us watch him closely to see how things
went along. There just didn't seem to
be any other explanation for his wan
derings except that his brain was in
some way affected by the bruise on
his forehead. So we brought him here
and the doctors agreed with us that an
operation might prove our theories cor
rect.
"ORLD BROKE IN TWO"
He's awfully game" continued the
mother. proudly. VIII it hurt me.
mother?' was the first thing he asked
me. And I said, Now, Arden, you've
always been proud of being plucky;
here's your chance to prove it. If you
make UP your mind that it won't hurt
badly you'll find that you can stand
it And the first thing he said when
he came out from under the influence
of the anaesthetic and before he really
knew what he was saying was, I
was game, mother. I was game
Arden proved his mothers boast by
his description of the operation.
1T was in a hurry to have them do
it and get it over with" he explained
with a brave little smile. IF ] had
to be cut up I wanted to get through
with it. When got into the operating
room and they began to give me that
dope that makes a fellow not know
anything, I felt as If I was on an cleo
trio chair waiting for the world to
come to an end. And all of a sudden.
it seemed like as if the world had
caiH FTc
this the way the world comes to an
end? and some voice said, why yes,
didn't you know this was the way it
happened?" And then I didn't know
anything for a long time-Oh, not till
after all the 'lectric lights were lit,
There's one thing I don't like"
the child continued quite seriously.
they shaved it and do you know what
that means? Why it means that it
will all come back in blaCk-and 1
don't want black hair"
Upon being questioned as to why
he supposed such an effect would be
produced he explained that "papa's s
whiskers had come in black when he
let 'em grow out, so of course that's
what his own hair would do"
when went in that room the doc
tor said if ! didn't hold my legs still
er he'd have to strap 'em down; so
after that I gritted my teeth and held
'em still, but if was awful hard Most
Of the time yesterday I wanted to yell
and l had to think hard how I ought
to be game to keep from doing it. But
I don't mind being here so much now.
They feed me much better than I sup
posed they would-my nurse says I can
have real food tomorrow. And some day
when I can see 'em my teachers GO
ing to ask all the boys in my room at
school to come and see me. I tried to
amuse myself this morning; 7 saw a
book on that stand and crept down to
the foot of the bed and got it, but
my nurse wouldn't let me have it vet"
Arden is a boy of twelve years, a
bright, manly little chap with frank
blue eyes that meet the other man S
without hnching. He is in the sixth
grade at the Belvedcre school and is
quite a favorite among the children
and with his teachers,
The operation took about an hour
to perform and, from a physical view
point, is considered highly satisfac-
tory As to the physiological result
no one can say yet, but his parents
and teacher, as we'll as the physicians
who operated are most hopeful.