Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-21
LORENZ METHOD
USED ON CHILD
POLICE SURGEON PERFORMS A
DIFFICULT OPERATION
SUCCESSFULLY REDUCES DlSLO-
CATION OF HIP BONE
Baby Girl Must Wear Plaster. Cast
for Two Years Before a Per-
feet Cure Can Be
Obtained

One of the first operations of its kind
since DR.. Alfonso Lorenz, the famous
Vienna surgeon, visited Los Angeles
in 1902, was performed by DR. Edwin
II. Wiley assistant police surgeon, and
a prominent physician of this city, on
Katrina Bianchetti, years old, at the
childrens hospital yesterday morning,
when a congenital dislocation of the
left hip was reduced successfully after
the well known "bloodless method"
employed by DR.. Lorenz.
Little Katrina was born with a dis
located hip a little over three years
ago. The hip bone was several inches
above the hip socket and rested in
such position that the leg was con-
siderably shorter than the sound limb,
and the child, after it became older,
was unable to walk because of the de-
formity.
The parents, who live at 812 Howard
street, are hard working persons. They
were unable to bear the expense of a
costly operation and gave up the
thought of having the little one treated
by a specialist. The child continued to
suffer, and recently it's back became
bent as the result of the deformity.
Dr. Wiley, who is one Of the sur
geons at the children's hospital, learned
of the case and after examining the
child decided an operation after the
Lorenz method would be the only
means of affording the child relief
from It's deformity.
All arrangements were made and the
child was taken to the hospital yester-
day morning. After placing her under
an anaesthetic DR.. Wiley began manip-
ulating the injured leg, and without
the aid of a knife succeeded in bring
ing the hip bone to it's proper place
and it snapped into the socket with a
sound that was audible to those near
the operating table.
"BloodIess System" Employed
The method of reducing congenital
dislocations by the so-caled "bloodless
system" is to place the patient under
an anaesthetic, bend the deformed
limb forward and backward until it
reached the head of the patient. Then,
after manipulating the muscles and
ligaments at the hip, the patient is
placed at the edge of the operating
table and the leg is bent backward.
The muscles again are massaged and
forced loose from the bone, and the leg
is then bent at right angles and more
muscles are drawn from their former
positions. The hip bone then is in
condition to receive the socket and the
bone is snapped into place.
After the bone is in place the leg and
the lower part of the body are encased
in a plaster cast. The leg is bent in
such position that it is fleXed and
turned at right angles to the body.
The limb then remains in the cast for
two years. During this time the ban
dages are changed several times and
the progress is carefully noted. During
the time the limb is encased in the
plaster cast the patient is required to
walk frequently and to bear as much
weight as possible on the deformed leg.
In this manner the hip bone presses
against the socket and assists in bring
ing 1t to its normal condition.
Dr. Wiley has performed several re-
markable operations since he has been
connected with the receiving hospital.
He has made a careful study of the
Lorenz method, and, according to the
surgeons who witnessed the operation
yesterday, the operation was no less
skillful than those performed by the
famous Vienna surgeon.
According to DR.. Wiley the best re-
suits in cases of congenital hip dislo
cations are obtained when the patient
is under A years of age. Up to that
time, he said, the hip joint has not
been deformed to a great extent and it
is not difficult to loosen the muscles
and ligaments covering it and to work
the hip bone into place.