The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-11
Nearer the artificial Reconstruction of Many Parts the Body

bT HE newest miracle OF surgery is giving
crippled man new hand. This feat
calls attention TO the astonishing fact
that every part of the external structure OF the
body and most OF the vital organs have now
been repaired by surgical operations.
All the bones the eyes, the ears. heart, kid
neys, stomach and intestines can be replaced or
mended BIZ the manipulations Of the surgeon
In the latest case young La Four Raymond,
son OF DIR ]. U. Raymond, Of Washington. D. c.,
suffered from crippled left hand He burned
the hand terribly when child. The flesh on
the palm was almost totally destroyed, causing
tremendous contraction OF the hand which
rendered it useless for any important kind OF
work The fingers were also badly injured and
all Of them except the middle and index were
drawn UP to the shrivelied palm.
He COLD not hold onto the rail of a street car.
mold the left end of his neckte with this hand
or perform any OF the many acts in which the
left hard is ordinarily used. AS boy he was
greatly distressed because his crippled hand
prevented him from playing any games properly.
When ne went to work he found himself still
more seriously handicapped
One operation was performed and proved a
failure because the contraction due to the alb
sence OF tissue returned. Many consultations
were held and methods OF treatment discussed.
rlnali! II was decided to take the young man to
DR.. Robert II. NJ. Dawbarn, of New York. a
noted expert in plastic surgery. He held out
hopes Of favorable results from the newest
methods OF operation
Dr. Dawbarn dissected away the scar tissue
from the palm so that It could be opened up. The
tendons of the fingers were heightened with
little strips CT tissue. The great prob
lem then to supply the missing palmar
surface, for without this the opened up hand
would have been useless and would have quickly
contracted to the previous condition
Then came the remarkable part of the opera
ton. DR.. Dawbarn raised flap Of flesh in the
form Of pocket from Mr.. Raymonds back just
above the hip. The raw, skinless palm of the
crippled hand was then placed against the under
side of the flap. The edges of the flap were
sewn to the palm of the hand but the flap was
left connected with the back.
The hand was then fixed in this position by
means of plaster cast and left in that condi-
tion for four weeks The vitality and circula.
ton of the flap thus maintained by the
body while the section OF tissue was growing in
its position. At the end of the period men
toned the cast removed and the flap CON-
cletey severed from the body. The freshly cut
edge sewn to the palm.
The wound in the back vas bandaged and
allowed to heal by contraction, which It did
satisfactorily, as there is an abundance of skin
and flesh in that region
Further grating operations had to be per-
formed. There were injuries on the back of the
crippled hand less extensive than the palm
but still interfering with the use OF the hand
These were repaired by transplanting small areas
of skin from the thigh.
At the completion Of the operation the hand
The extension and fexion of the fingers and