The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-01-30
REMOVE APPENDIX
IN TWILIGHT SLEEP
Two Men Undergo Opera.
ton And N either Feels
Any Pain.

u Il ! 3 i.i
CHICAGO, Jan. 2s.-Twilight sleep
was successfully employed here in
two capital surgical operations on
men. In one case 1t was for .ap-
pendIcitis, the Rev. John Albert; John.
son, pastor OF the American Reformed
church IN Norwood Park, being the
patient. The other was George
Weyer.
A section OF depressed skull was
removed and in its place was prop
erly fitted strip of bone taken from
Weyer's shin. Both men declared
the operation painless and in neither
case did nausea or other disquiehng
effects follow. as often occurs in the
use of ordinary anaesthetics.
Special professional interest adj
lstached TO the operations from the
fact that the Cook County Medical
society Is tust now holding sessions
for demonstrations in surgical work,
and physicians and surgeons from
various parts Of thezcountry are in
attendance. Many of the professional.
guests, In addition to members OF
the local society, witnessed the opera:
lions today.
This was the first time in Chicago
that the twilight sleep formula had
been tried with men. Pastor Johnson
was treated in the Sheridan Park hos
pital In the presence OF a large mum.
Der Of doctors. DR.. Charles II.
Parkes conducted the operation.
Had Pleasant Dreams.
The patient received three hypoder.
mic injections Of scopolamin.mor.
phine anaesthetic, at intervals OF one
hour apart, to prepare him for. the
ordeal. When sleep had thus been
induced he was carried to the operat-
Ing table. Thirty minutes later re.
storatives were applied. He came
out OF the sleep In another thirty min.
utes.
81 feel as Il had; awakened from
a dream" he said, sin which l seemed
to be flying about well above the
earth, not as in an aeroplane, but
moving easily of my own will. as II
gravitation had been suspended on
my behalf. Once the. dream changed.
and was jumping without effort
across rivers and up and down prec.
pices. 1t was a pleasant experience
all around. When you woke me 4
felt twinge in my right side, and
that was my first consciousness of
pain.
The Operation Was Delicate.
Drs. Thomas A. Carter and H. p.
Halseden operated on Mr.. Weyer in
the German.Ameriean hospital Many
physicians and surgeons watched the
work. The case was OF uncommon IN.
terest because the patient had sub.
mitted to previous operations, which
had given him no permanent relief.
For years he had been an epileptic.
All physicians who had examined him
agreed that tie afflictlon was due to
pressure OF pieces Of skull.bone on
the brain, from the effects OF blow
on the head with a bar OF iron in
boyhool.
Today's operation lifted out the de-.
preston. Then they took the shin
bone. four inches long. fitted It to the
spot over the exposed brain and
sewed the scalp over. Two opera.
lions, each of them important, had
thus been jointly performed
When he had come out Of the sleep
and was asked how he felt, Weyer
replied that he had felt twlnges OF
pain now and then, but they had not
troubled him and he thought he had
been relieved. DR.. Halzelden assured
him that he would recover and be.
come n strong, normal man., This
assurance was repeated to the assem-.
bled surgeons.