Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-02-18
RE MOVES HER
FIFTH NERVE TO
Pre- VENT INSANITY
Ceaseless Agony for a Year
Threatened to Result
in Madness.
DOCTORS LONG UNABLE
TO TRACE CAUSE OF PAIN
Under Ether Eight Hours, Mrs.
kavanagh Awakes Freed
from Suffering.

martyr TO pain and only a shadow
OF her former self. Mrs. Charles Kava-
nash. OF 1oe North Second street, Har-
rison, lies in st. Lukes Hospital, New
York, recovering slowly from an opera
ton declared by surgeons to be one OF
the most skiiful ever performed in a
New York hospital. 1t was only when
insanity seemed inevitable that the
hospital physicians placed Mrs. Kava-
nagh upon the table to undergo an
operation that meant the trephining OF
her skull and the removal of the
fifth" nerve. Considering her weak
ened condition this was considered
dangerous.
Tic douloureux is the name of the
malady that baffied scores of local
physicians. cost Mrs. Kavanagh a for
tune for treatment and in the end
nearly resulted In her losing her rea-
son. II was Just about a year ago that
the woman decided to have a set OF
false teeth, her natural molars having
decayed several years before A dentist
made the plate and set It. All seemed
well for few weeks, until one night
sharp pain in her right Jaw
Home remedies were applied, II being
thought that the pain was neuralgia
The agonizing pangs seemed to become
worse and It was decided TO visit the
dentist who set the teeth. He made an
examination and took the woman to
specialists, but none could determine
the exact trouble. The torture con-
tinued. Mrs. Kavanagh. driven to des-
peration by the pain, went to almost
every physician in and about Newark
She spent the savings of many years
in her quest for relief
The lX-ray was used on her many
times, and though few of the phvsi-
clans finally diagnosed the case, they
seemed unable to treat It. Every x-ray
examination cost $i0 and It did MOI
take long for her life savings to dwin.
die. Some Of the physicians when asked
whether an operation would result II
! driving away the pain said that they
would advise such procedure only
I when the sufferer was In danger OF
losing her mind.
AII-HenIing Time Brings No Relief.
Time wore on, but there was no ease
lIl6 NOIIldu duu OlbcIl people uNluB
In the vicinity of Second street were
awakened late at night by her screams
Mrs. Anna Treanor, friend of Mrs.
Kavanagh's, remembered that twenty
years ago her mother, Mrs Margaret
Slavan, had suffered with tic dou-
loureuy and that DIR. Robert Able. OF
New ork, had performed a success
full operation. The physician was To-
Gated and 1t was learned that he did
surgical work at St. Lukes Hospital.
About the middle of last October Mrs.
Kavanagh went to the hospital and
DIR. Able removed her lower right jaw.
bone. Even after this painful opera
tion there was no relief. Dr. Able
then advised the suffering woman to
rest for time and after she had
gained strength he would remove the
fifth nerve Instead of resting up the
sufferer, unable to stand the strain any
longer, began to lose her reason and at
times it took the combined efforts of
five strong men to prevent her from do
ing herself bodily injury
DR.. Able was communicated with a
few days ago and he directed that Mrs.
KaVanagh be taken to the hospital
When she arrived he prepared for The
operation. For eight hours the victim
of the painful twitch was under ether.
During this time the skull was tre-
pinned and the nerve removed and to-
day Mrs. Kavanagh Is the source Of
wonder and amazement of physicians
who visit the hospital and learn the
circumstances. The right side of her
face is paralyzed and will probably re-
main so. It is also said that q person
undergoing an operation OF this nature
generally loses one of the five senses
Thus far there has been no such re-
suit In Mrs Kavanagh's case.
Lost seventy-five Pounds
Mrs. Kavanagh is 48 years old and
has been a resident of Harrison for
more than a quarter of century. She
has four children. An idea of what
she suffered may be gotten when 1t is
known that year ago the woman
weighed about 40 pounds and the day
before she went to New York the last
time she tipped the scales at e5 pounds
The final operation marked the fifth
one and the physicians cannot i'm
agine how she stood the strain.