The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-26
BABOON'S GLAND Is
GRATED ON CHILD
DR.. Serge Voronoff Of Paris
Brings Relief to Cretin-
Ism Patient.
INDUCES MENTAL GROWTH
Successful Operation Opens New
Path in Constructive
Surgery.
INDUCES MENTAL GROWTH
Special coresposdencs 10 TIE Scr.

PARIS, July 17.-Dr. Serge VoronoR.
the surgeon. has succeeded, Il is said, IN
grating q monkeys thyroid gland onto
child suffering from cretinism and In
eTecting a radical euro. DR.. VoronofY de-
scribed tho case before the Academy Of
Medicine. and II was unanimously re-
garded as opening new path in con-
structive surgery, rich in discoveries which
will diminish human suffering.
The child Is IL years old. When only
she was attacked by myxndema
tatrophy OF tho thyroid giand) as a
sequel to scarlet fever, and ever after has
presented all tho symptoms OF severe Gre
tlnism.
DR.. voronofr grated to tho chiid's neck
tho right lobe of the thyroid gland OF q
large baboon She has since continued
to grow rapidly in body and mind While
formerly spathet'c and slow. she Is now
turbulent and sharp. Tho chid's prog
ress is being carefully observed by Prof.
Hobbs OF Bordeaux University.
This Is the first time that tho grating
OF an organ from an animal to a human
being has been accomplished with success.
DR.. Voronof. who followed the work OF
DR.. Alexis Carrel of Rockefeller Insti-
tute, NJ Y, for several months, described
some Of the results OF his own researches
In organ grating at tho last surgical CON-
gress of doctors.
Operation May Become Common.
| It 10 believed that, thanks to Dr. voro-
noff's new technic. tho operation may be-
come common and that numbers Of cre-
tins and imbeciles now leading q purely
lvegetatlve existence may be transformed
into useful members of society.
II has been known for half . century
at least that cretinism and an analogous
disease called myxndema are caused by
the defective supply OF the secretion of the
thyroid gland and that similar conditions
can be brought on In animals by remov-
ling this gland.
The very first observers found that the
III effects caused by the removal OF the
Thyroid gland in animals could be dimin-
ished by transportation. and they conse-
quently tried to treat the disease In man
lby transportation OF gland substance OBJ
taned from animals. certain amount
of temporary success was obtained. but
as II was soon found that another method
the administration OF extracts of the
LELAND OF sheep-acted like magic the ne"d
for transportation vanished almost en-
ltirely.
One difficulty in transplantlng any It's
sue In man. whether It be derived from
1.-THE patent himself or another person. 10
, that OF obtaining the necessary blood sup
ply to keep 1t alive. The commonest case
lin which this is done now Is In skin graft
ling to cover up large raw" surfaces. 40.
lfor instance, those left after extensive ana
severe burns.
In this operation very thin shavings
of skin are taken from healthy portions
OF the patients or another PERSONS bony
and are spread over the surface 10 ".
covered. There Is very little thickness
of tissue, so that penetration by nourish'
ing of blood Is easy. The consequence y
that these skin CRAFTS take root ana
then spread to cover tho wound.
TrnnspIantation of Bone.
I. Another form OF grating. trans,
y plantation. Is that in which piece Of
Z healthy bone is moved from one par
;. OF the patient to that part where thu
: defect IL IL intended to remedy exists
It This Is not at all an uncommon surgi'
: cal procedure at the present time and IL II
often successful because bone is poroui
n and allows the nourishing fluids OF th'
n tissues to penetrate it's substance anc
d keen 4, alive one difficulty IN trans
e plantation is that OF keeping the tissu'
l. which Is TO be moved surgically clean o
\. a.eptic It Is easy TO get some micro
a ORGANISMS on the graft during I'M
re manipulation necessary during IN
II process of transportation. and this ma.
Is 80, I'm local intiammat ton In the tissue.
Even II most of the difficulties can n
% overcome there still remains what
is probably the greatest of all and on
le which suggests that II is doubtful II ID
10 Voronoff has really succeeded in maxim
- the baboon's gland live as part OF IN
" child's body. This difficulty turns on IN
70 power which every individual possesses
lie OF producing in his blood substance
US which are destructive to any materials
ne tissues introduced into his system fro
another animal. This power for re
10 slstance applies even in the case of ms
n terlals derived from another person, bu
ia much greater when they come from IN
:. lower animals
r. 1t was probably to meet this ain
~, Guilty so far as possible that DR.. wore
pe noff selected tho baboon and not shoel
=. Six months is, however, rather too shoi
NC a time to say definitely whether u
:, childs cure IL due TO the transplante
o. gland being actually alive and as part {
a. the chids body providing the previous'
-. defective secretion. or whether 1t Is dl
-, 10 the gland not having taken root bt
e., having been gradually destroyed, ana
his process of destruction having SUI
- oiled simultaneously curative suhstanc'
-. similar to those which could easily nav
- leen given by the mouth.