Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-07

bears only the reminder of small
scar which does not dctract at all from
his appearance.
y bullet hole in the forehead ~ "a
simple matter, and is Immediately filled
In by the same abdominal operation
that was used. in the case OF the plate
printer II Is curious scientific fact
that only tho mans own flesh Will
suffice Tor an operation OF this kind
or that Of hts twin, so that there is
not the trouble OF obtaining material
as is often the case with blood trans
fusion. One young woman who visited
tho military hospitals Of Europe as
serts that protuberent lip is some
times made use Of by the surgeon, and
cites the case OF n soldier who gladly
gave UP part of his in order to SUNNY
portion of his nose which had been
shot off in battle. lie is now able To
snecze with perfect equanimIty
Another man brought into the Amer
ican Ambulance Hospital had a frac-
turct jaw and an ugly void where
there should have been a chin After
much painstakiuE work. the surgeon
was able TO rebuild this mans face out
Of chaos. The dental department first
attended 10 his jaws. and then, the
wound clean. the surgeon succeeded I'm
drawing the mans lips up and I'm
stretching and moulding his checks 80
as TO form part OF his chin, tho
other part being formed by the new
skin which grew up from his lower
Jaw. This man, OF course. will al
ways have a married face. hut IL II had
not been for the skin OF tho surgeon
he would probably not have any a,
all
Major Operations by Hundreds.
Plastic surgery is not the only kind
OF surgery that has developed in the
European war. The wounded have
poured into the military hospitals
throughout Europe, crowdinG the
wards and straininS the equipment To
the utmost. Surgeons have been known
to operate on az many 300 patients
In four days, yet the majority OF these
arc major operations-and, what is
more important. the Majority OF them
pull through. common case, for in
stance, is that OF a man who has been
wounded in the log, and a nerve there
by severed which causes instant pa
ralysiS. Under these circumstances,
the military surgeon scws the picccs
OF the nerve together and the man is
again able to walk. Also. there have
been scvcra! successful operations in
which the surgeon has removed a hull
let from the heart. or extracted masses
of decaycu brains resulting from head
wounds.
Indeed. in almost every case where
surgery is possible at all il has been
amazingly successful The great
AiNu'ic ii'S III iIie TACT InJt often the
men are four and five days In trans
portatlon between the battle field and
the hospital, which usually allows
tctanuS or Gangrcnc to set In and work
their havoc. Frozen hands and feet
arc also one of the great Affections of
the war, ana are rarely durable by
anything but amputation. although
they are now treating them with hot
electrical current. During the winter
there arc thousands of these cases
While the American hospitals in
Europe are primarily for the wounded,
they make also for the advance Of med
zeal science. Tho American Ambu-
lance. for example. has invited several
American universities. Including tho
western Reserve University of Clcve-
land, Harvard University. Johns Hon
kins and the Universities of pennsyl-
vania and Chicago to send over rem
reScntatiNcS To work i'm the hosnital
for periods of three months at time
Thus we are constantly receiving a
new influx Of ideas with the return
OF our young surgeons. who in at
tending the military hospitals of Eu-
rope, get more practical experience
in II month than they would In this
country in year. Already, our citi-
Zcns are keeping their injured thumbs
and our victims of accidents are hay
ing their beauty prcacrvcd, so that
our future American surgery, like that
of Europe. will doubtless he incrcas-
insly constructive as a result of tho
war.