The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-04
Injured Soldiers
Receive Treatment
AT Bruhn Clinic

Dusseldorf, June 3, You
don't need to thank me for this
1t long ago lost its significance.
The this was woman's
wedding ring, worn and scratch
ed. The message was blurred
and poorly written. Ring and
message, indicating some hidden
tragedy that never will be re-
vealed, were sent to DIR. Chris
tlan Bruhn. one OF Germany's
most distinguished dental sur
Seons, for the furtherance OF his
present life work-the patching
up of soldiers whose Jaws and
teeth have been shot away.
The patching up process re-
CURED much gold. DIR. Bruhn' S
clinic is free, and, thus lar at
least, unsupported from any off
cial quarter As his fame has
gone out over Germany, how
ever, his gold reserve has in
creased amazingly \ famous
actress has given a heavy medal
lion, the gift OF the ruler of a
German State. a noted lectur-
er has donated similar gift
from the King OF Sweden. We'd
ding rings, seal rings, necklaces,
gold coins, from England and
from Turkey, even old gold
teeth, have poured in on DR..
Bruhn, to be melted up and find
their way into the mouths of
wounded soldiers.
Men who have viewed war
from all angles and who are init
mately acquainted with its hor-
rors have declared repeatedly that
the worst part Of it is in the hos
pitfalls. The orthopedic institu-
tions, where the soldiers are
painstakingly made new again SO
that they may go back to the
front, are infinitely depressing.
But they cannot compare for
sheer horror with the great in
stitution in Dusseldorf and with
DR.. Bruins private clinic, where
dozens and scores of men sit or
lie with half of their faces left,
with noses and upper teeth miss
ing, with hands enclosed in steel
framework that supports broken
lower jaws until newly inserted
bones shall have had time to
knit.
The Dusseldorf institution, of
which DIR. Bruhn is the chief sur
geon is devotedly exclusively to|
the care OF soldiers who have
been injured in the jaws, and is
tar and away the largest OF it's
kind i'll ermany. Weekly it is
turning out men who, aside from
scars and somewhat impeded
speech, are about as good as be-
fore the war, men who few
weeks or months before were
brought in in such shocking con-
dltion that the layman, if he
could endure to gaze for long,
would despair Of ever saving
them.
The patients frequently are
found to have rifle bullets i'm
beded in the bones of their Jaws,
bullets otter that have been flat
tened out or twisted by the COM
pact of lead against bone. More
serious are the sharpnel and
grenade wounds, which tear
away whole sections of the face
and leave jaw fractured in a |
score of places.
Through use OF the Roentgen
ray, or X-ray, the bullets exact
injury is established on his ad-
mission. In a majority of cases
there is some portion of bone
missing-a portion that must be
replaced by bone from some part
of his body.
Each patient is his own bone
supply, SO to speak, and general !
ly it is the shin bone that serves.
The ribs also are fertile field, |
and, SO fast does nature work, |
the piece of bone taken out for
use in the jaw is rapidly replaced
by new growth.
One patient in the hospital late
in April, slowly recovering from
a shocking wound that gouged |,
out his whole lower jaw, has a
strip OF shin bone "A centimeters
long in his mouth On top of !
that is new set of serviceable
teeth. The man is healthy and
reasonably happy.
In dozens of cases is it not on
ly necessary to replace bone, but
skin as well. Here again each
man must supply his own.
Great strips of skin are taken
from the patients arms and
grated onto cheeks or chins.
Aside from the scar along the
line of stitching there is usually
little indication of the original
injury
Each man is photographed on
the day of arrival. and then at