The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-04-24
Men With Artificial Forearms
Write, Fold Papers and Pick
Up Dimes
DIR. ALEXIS CARREL ON
TRANSMITTING ORGANS
This Operation, Expert Says,
Cannot Yet be Applied to
Human Surgery


OF listening 20 surgeons tell mostly
| in French and Germany how 20 cut or
q leg or an arm properly at the first
session OF the fourth congress OF the
international Surgical association In
the Hotel Aston, one could seek
amusement IN the surgical instrument
cxhibit--a sort OF side show in the
next loom.
There one could watch young man
carve pieces out OF a human skull
with miniature buzz-saw, or look
at pneumonia bugs through a micro
scope. or ask the lungmotor man TO
attach his lungmotor to ones face.
This last was helpful, because for the
time being II saved one the trouble
of breathing, The machine did all OF
the work.
But before the surgeons began their
talk, the artificial arm men gave an
exhibit by invitation, on the plat
form in the congress hall on the
eighth floor OF the Aston. AS these
persons-three of them-wore their
mechanical arms in all languages,
they were easily understood by every;
.s.,,., ,.,e,y uoGy prssSt. incinalng;.
the great surgeons OF the world,
clapped their hands and exclaimed In.
surprise when t. C.. Gates OF Kansas
City, whose arms were amputated
just below the elbow couple OF
years ago, picked up pen, dipped II
in ink and dashed OF his name just
as II he had regular hands instead OF
fiber ones.
After that, armless Mr.. Gates
showed how he goes after beefsteak
and potatoes with a knife and fork,
how he puts on his collar. how he
buttons his shoes-in fact, how he
| dresses himself every day. Not only
that, but he folded papers, picked up
paperN lying fiat on the table, patted
his hair into place and shook hands
with those OF the surgeons who asked
him questions.
After all this Mr.. Gates modesuy
admitted that he can feel the engrav-
ing on calling card-so sensitive are
the stumps of hts arms 10 which the
false arms are attached.
But although Mr. Gates was the
lion, the other two men, one OF them
the inventor OF the device, both with
one artificial arm apiece, picked
dimes and toothpicks from the floor
with their tailor.made fingers, and
opened, shut and swung suit cases
with their tailor-made hands
Prof A. Depage. OF Brussels. pres
ident OF the congress, led the APP
plause, in which all the surgeons join
ed as the armless ones did their two
arm stunts.
While discussions on amputations
were in progress reporters got DR..
Alexis CRrrel's paper on The Trans
plantations OF Organs which will be
under discussion tomorrow. The pa
paper commences
During the last few years II has
been definitely established that auto
plastic transplantations OF organs
(the shifting OF organs from the same
individual TO another place in the
same individually are practically al
ways successful; that homoplastic
TRANSFORMATIONS (the transfer OF or
gans from an individual 10 another
individual OF the same species), al.
though the immediate results may be
excellent, are nearly always ultimate
~ unsuccessful. and that heetroplas-
tic transplantations knowing organs
from an individual OF one species) are
always unsuccessful. Although the
technical part OF the problem Of the
transportation OF organs was com
pletely solved long ago. this operation
cannot yet be applied 10 human sur
gerry. Homoplastic CRAFTS alone would
be OF use: but before being practi
cable homoplastic transplantations
must be rendered as safe as autoplas
tic transplantations.
This statement OF DIR. Carrers does
not mean that tissues cannot be
transplanted from one individual TO
another OF the same species--or from
an individual OF one species 10 an In
dlvidual of an entirely different
species--as was the case when the
cornea OF a pig was grated on a hu-
man eye recently. DIR. Carrel told
reporters that he was only dealing
with organs In this paper.
THE present aspect OF the prob
lem" Or Carrel continues, after dis
GUESSING the results OF the various ex-
/ periments is then 10 find ont the
causes of the reaction OF an organism
against a new organ and TO discover
by what means this reaction can be
| prevented and the organ become
adapted 10 It's new owner"
The paper closes with reference
10 the work OF Dr. James r. Murphy,
OF the Rockefeller Institute. ON the
same question. Or. Murphy trans
planted pieces OF rat tumor TO chick
embyros. DIR. Carrel concludes
IL ts too soon 20 draw any
definite conclusions from these
experiments Nevertheless, It is
certain that very important
point has been acquired with
Murphy's discovery that the pow
er OF the organism to eliminate
foreign tissue was due tn organs
such as the spleen or bone mar
row and that when the action OF
these organs is less active for.
eign tissue can develop rapidly
after u has been grated N IS
not possible 20 foresee whether
or not the present experiments OF
Or Murphy viii lead directly to
the practical solution OF the prob.
lem in which we are Interested.
bat Il II certain that he has con.
tributed very important step
toward this solution.
II Is not Impossible that by 1Is.
ing Murphy's or SOME other meth.
cd Il will be possible TO regu.
A larlv obtain the excettent rccuIta