Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-11-24
AN ANCIENT SURGICAL FEAT.
Art of Grating New Nose on Face
Known Four Hundred Years Ago.


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The art of grating a new nose on
a human face is by no means new
marvel of surgery. There lived in
Italy 400 years ago a family of skill
full surgeons who made a speciality OF
performing this operation for those
who had been so unfortunate as to
lose their noses in duels or in some
other way. And ancient medical
writings recently brought to light re-
fer to similar operations having been
performed several centuries earlier
than this
The first Italian surgeons to win
fame for their restoration of noses
were named Vianeo, and were natives
of Calabria They are supposed to
nave learned the art from the East
Indians. although some think the
Arabs may have been the source of
their knowledge.
Their method was to detach flap
of skin from the arm, cut IN the FORM
nc a nose and apply it to the stump
of the missing or damaged nose. When
the two parts at last grew together
they cut off with admirable skin just
enough OF the skin of the arm to fasn-
ion a new nose, resembling in size ana
shane the one their patient had orig
inally possessed.
Although the Nianeos won Wide
reputation for their skill In supplying
new noses that were as good III every
way as the ones Nature had originally
furnished, there We're many oil their
fellow surgeons who found fault with
taeir methods and charged that tEer
noses We're seriously lacking IN dura-
bility.
Alexander Renedetti, the anatomlst,
was one of these critics, according to
prof. John Behun Stein, who writes OF
these early efforts at transporting
noses and other parts Of the huihaii
body. in the Medical Record. Ihese
artificial noses, said Benedettl en-
dure with difficulty q hard winter, anu
when first put on it is very necessary
TO guard against having them pulleo'
because they are liable 10 be pulled
cninnIetely off, Another writer was OF
Tho opinion that it was better to go
without a nose or do with muiulateu
one rather than submit to an operation
Ike this. which lasted L months.
The art of restoring noses attained q
high degree Of perfection at the hahos
af Tagliacvozzi. another Italian, VINO
nracticed during the latter part OF the
sixteenth century. This man was really
n skilled surgeon. but the way he au-
,.ertisea and boasted of his skill would
NOWADAYS hardly be considered ethical.
In a letter 20 one of his prospeFuNe
natients he gives a long list OF persons
who. he SAYS, are almost more salts
fled with their new noses imam wiz,
those which they carried before. Anu
N one of his books he deNotes MANY
20 ges To citations not only iron the
prose writer's and the poets, nut oieo
from the lives of the saints, to snow
the Importance Of having pefteea9
good, serviceable nose.
The method Tagliacozzi empioNeG
was much the same as that USED by
The yianeos. He usually took the SKIN
t. form the new nose from the patient
gym arm. for he found it extremely dll-
heult to keep two persons fastened To-
ether for the long time necessary for
tbair skins to grow together. Another
objection to the latter method was .iie
..urions superstition which heio ina. II
the r,ArSOn from WHO'LL tic SNit' -
borrowed CHANGED to die first the new
nose would promptly shrivel up ana
drop off. - bic
ia rliacozzi was very proud Oh MS
ability and quick to resent any hiht
that the noses he supplied were not
every bit as good as the original ones
once n nobleman who had lost ms llose
in a duel had new one made py as
liacozzi. but he could not get up the
courage to blow it for fear OF tedrlis
If off. TO prove his patient Tears
,,roundless the surgeon seized INN os
the NV nose and pulled him all around
the house. ,r,,;a
The novel methods used by lasaa-
cozzi are described in a book WHlch he
,,,hlished at Venice in 1891. In order 10
1--WE tine new nose a natural coior NJ
advised the application CT very nos
water and exposure to the sun ray
for several days He thought the oie
of q trutle the best thing TO Apply ~
remove all traces of scars aitei e,ie
,,neration. AS Tor missing ears anu i'ps
this medieval surgeon claiuieo ~ -
able to replace them just as ven DC
noses.LNew York American.