Fergus County Democrat., 1910-11-15
DIR. MURPHY PERFORMS
WONDERFUL OPERATION
NOTED CHICAGO SPECIALIST
FIXES UP FERGUS COUNTY
MAN.

Andrew J. Ely, of Windham, was
in the city yesterday, being on his
way home from Chicago, where he
spent almost year, under the care
of Doctor John B. Murphy, the noted
Windy City surgeon DR.. Murphy
performed, in the case of the Fergus
county man, one of the most notable
operations recorded in the annals OF
surgery, and it was successful in
every particular.
As told to the Democrat by Mr..
Ely, he was hauling hay from the ].
NJ. Croft ranch, near Stanford, to his
homestead near Windham, on the
1lth day of April, 1908, when his
team became unmanageable. He got
to the heads of the team, and, in try
ing to stop them, was thrown be-
meath the wagon, and suffered
broken thigh bone, as we'll as two or
three fractured ribs. The accident
occurred at o'clock in the evening
and it was 9 o'clock the next day be-
fore the injured man was discovered
and taken home. Local physicians
rendered every possible assistance,
after which the injured man was
taken on cot to Great Falls for
further treatment, which, however,
was not successful in lettering his
condition
He then went to Illinois and under
went another operation, which was
equally unsuccessful, and finally,
twenty three months after the date
of the accident, entered the Mercy
<1o
Of which is Doctor Murphy, recog-
nized as one Of the two or three lead
ing surgeons Of the United States.
An examination revealed that the
thigh bone had been broken off, leav-
ing the head Of the bone still in the
socket, but driving the longer portion
for nearly three inches into the
muscles Of the hip, making the in
jured leg, the right. just that much
shorter than the left On the 11th
day of December, 1909, Doctor Muir
ply and assistants performed an
operation, placing the bone in place.
Three ordinary nails, two ten-penny
and one eight-penny in size, were
then driven through the two broken
portions OF bone to hold them in
place, after which the leg and hip
were placed in cast to hold the
bone in place
1t was left in this position until
April 26, when another incision was
made. with the intention Of remov-
ing the nails, but the two smaller
ones were imbedded in the bone, so
were not disturbed. They are still
there, Mr.. Ely having the larger nail
TO exhibit as souvenir OF his ter
rible experiences.
Mr. Ely's injured limb is now one
inch shorter than the sound member,
but he is able to get around very
we'll, even without the aid OF cane,
although he uses stick in order to
prevent any extra strain on the short
er leg. He now feels no pain and is
much more cheerful than most peo-
pie who be after having passed
through so many hardships He is
more than pleased to be able to re-
turn home. and. although fifty years
of age, and crippled financially, as
result of spending hundreds OF dol
lars in his efforts to have his leg
fixed up, leaves Lewistown for his
homestead with firm determination
to make another start in the world,
despite his fifty eyars. 1t is pathetic,
as we'll as interesting, TO hear him
relate his experiences since that fate
/ full night out on the prairie near
Windham. Above all, he maintains
that Doctor Murphy is not only the
greatest doctor, but one of the most
wonderful men in the world.