Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-09-23

London. The marvellous progress
That has been 8ade In recent times in
surgical science is most impressively
revealed by a journey to some Of the
larger military hospitals. made possl-
bic through the courtesy of Sir Alfred
Keogh, director general Of the army
medical service.
In all the hospitals what the medical
staff set above all is conservative sur
gery--that is 10 say, the saving Of
limbs In order that the patients may
remain useful members Of the com
munity. Thus, at the Herbert hospital,
at Shooters Hill, there have been
since the beginning Of the war from
three to four thousand operations. and
Colonel Simpson. the officer In charge,
declared that he did not believe there
Ind been in all more than - primary
amputations
The impression left by a tour Of
these hospitals upon the laymans mind
is that outsiders have an utterly in
adequate idea Of the debt they owe
80 modern surgery MT Il time like the
present Day by day the surgeons
are giving 10 the nation new men for
old. They have embarked upon a
great mission of hope among the ma
TONS soldiers. They are doing more
than would have been credible twenty
years ago to rob war of its ultimate
horror
out of the hundreds Of wonderful
eases brought to ones notice during
these visits it is only possible to de-
scribe a few that may bc regarded as
typical of this trade of mcndlng sol
diers Take first the new nerve sur
gerry. Here is man with "a bullet
hole near his collar bone which scv-
cred the nerve controlling the muscles
of the wrist The result was wrist
drop and hand which until quite re-
Gently would have been regarded as
incurahly useless. The two ends of
the severed nerve have been freed
from what had already become no
more than Is scar, they have been re-
united and there is every prospect that
almost rs good as ever.
AS simple as tying up the two ends
Of cut telephone wire says the sur
geon who operated
Amazing Nerve Cases.
There ARE more remarkable nerve
cases still. A man had part OF the
tloshy portion of his arm shot away.
carrying with II four inches of the
nerve necessary 10 control the hand
movements The sareeon rang 40 soy
era' hospitals ON the telephone till he
heard of what he wanted. thc ampu-
taron that afternoon of healthy limb.
The limb happened TO be leg. aud
ii was amputatpd in the afternoon. No
sooner was it cut Off than four or five
inches practically living nerve were
removed from the calf placed i'm
saline bath aud rushed by taxi to the
other hospital. Here the patient was
already under an ancstheuc. The
wound In his arm was opened with n
lancet, the ends of>thc Indispensable
nerve quickly found ana the circuit
re-eStabiSbed - ii were. by means of
the first patients four inches Of fila
mont Today the man Is In fair way
Of rcgainiug the fun use of his hand.
Home surgery ON rathcr similar lines
is more familiar. bur hardly less sur
prtsng when you meet and talk To a
man who convcrScs with The aid of a
lower jaw part of which was only a
few weeks ngo part of his right leg.
II was meuded with two aud ouc-hulf
inches Of one of his shin bones. The
shin has quite healed, and the hole
viii be completely filled with new bone
before long. SO accommodating is ma
ture when treated with knowledge.
Another patient is perfectly happy
and prosperous with three inches of
the thula of his left leg neatly NOR
used In the humcruS of his right arm.
He, too. will finally suffer no loss of
bone whatever The variants of such
operations are endless and only limited