Evening star., 1918-02-24
Brain Surgery Reaches High Mark as Result Of War Work

must be operated upon be sent to the
base hospital Immediately. The opera
ton at any dressing station near the
scene of activities would have to be
repeated at the base hospital. in all
probability. Also it is very necessary
for patient to have short rest be-
Tore the operation, and a longer one
after the ordeal is over. Only local
aneSthesia is used in a great number
of cases, and in a surprisingly short
time after brain operation the patient
speaks with intelligence and is able to
take food
The operations themselves are COM
paratively simple, though they require
the maximum of skill and the ciearest
of Judgment. If surgeons had failed to
bring their work up to its present high
standard the world would be full of
numbers of paraiyzed men, as paralysis
follows "a brain wound in countless
cases. The exact nature OF the affectlon
however. depends entirely on the part Of
the brain injured
A private who was wounded in the
trenches was taken to the nearest hos
pital. Little satisfaction could be gain
from the patient. He showed not the
slightest interest in his story. nor any
inclination to talk and it was difficult
for nurses and doctors to learn any par
ticulars from him. He was pathetically
dull and listless. Examination disclosed
a long scalp wound which began at the
pie. The attending surgeon advised sew
eral days rest, as the poor chap seemed
as exhausted from hard fighting and
jangling nerves as anything else. Ap-
parently. rest was what he needed badly,
for he frightened up in a few days.
The sixth day after admission to the
hospital however, he had an epi1ertic
attack which began in his right arm
and became general Two hours after
his recovery from this first attack he
suffered a second. He WAS rushed under
the .X-ray. and just three hours after
the second seizure an operation was per-
formed. Several hours after the opera
tion he had a very slight epileptic at
tack From this time on he improved
rapidly When he was discharged from
the hospital he walked well and his
right hand had won back a grip quite
as firm and strong as that possessed
by the left.
a gunner who had taken of his he'll
met was engrossed in watching a battle
in the air which was wagine fiercely
between two hostile aviators. The anti
aircraft guns were also busy. and in his
deep interest in watching the exciting
maneuvers overhead. he never knew
what hit him. He conhded to his doc
tor. however. that he believed ii was
a small bit OF shell fragment from one
of the anti i-aircraft guns.
Only tiny wound could be found in
the top of his head, SO he was N-rayed
The negative showed a small opening in
his skull with tract passing through
the brain and running to the base of
the skull where bullet could be plain
ly discerned with it's apex sticking into
the hard palate The patient complain
ed of a>slight headache. and at times he
seemed abnormally drowsy. But he
gradually grew better His ca e was
debated. discussed and an operation con-
sidered. But the patient improved
steadily, SO it was finally concluded not
to operate. The patient returned to his
home within month quite rational
and a thoroughly normal being.
Private X. was particularly inter-
esting case for surgeons. number OF
missiles having lodged in his brain. He
was taken to the hospital suffering from
superficial wound in the front of his
head. 1t was learned that some months
before he had been wounded in the back
part of the head by one of the enemy
who used him as a target for his rifle
grenade. Private K. told that he was
back with his regiment within ten days,
SO his injury evidently gave him little
trouble. He himself noticed, after his
return to the trenches, that he was dis
tressingly nervous and very easily ex-
cited. A further quizzing from his
physician revealed the fact that in 1906
he had been discharged from the Army
for insanity and his own pc pie thought
it wise to confine him in an asylum. In
tact. further Investigation proved that
there had been considerable insanity in
the family. In view of these facts it is
not to be wondered that. after surviv-
ing a head wound, trench warfare ex-
'ited him.
After his first head wound he was
gassed, but he was not SO i'll that he
was compelled to leave his division.