Newark post., 1922-03-01
Bronchoscope Is
Great Life Saver
Merciful Invention Enables
Surgeons to Remove Ar
ticles from Lungs
Without Opera
ton

Again and again comes the story of
lives saved by the bronchoscope. Much
curiosity has been aroused as to just
what this instrument is and how it is
used, and almost as much as to why
people come from all over the world
, to have the operation performed in
/ Philadelphia, where there are two of
| these machines. Both of these are
under the supervision of DR.. Cheva-
lier Jackson, of jefferson Medical
College, inventor and perfector of the
bronchoscope. @1
The bronchoscope like most great
inventions, appears simple enough
when seen. Roughly it is a straight
metal tube, over one-quarter of an
inch in diameter and about fifteen
and one-half inches long. A tiny wire
runs down the tube and there is an
electric light at the end which enables
the surgeon by looking down the tube
to see into the interior of the lungs,
bronchus or stomach. Simple as it is
in appearance it has been the means
of mercifully removing foreign OBJ
jects in the lungs and bronchial tubes
whe many other sort of operation
would be fatal.
In the case of children, or even
grown-ups, inhaling pins, coins, nails,
tacks or similar objects which lodge
in the lungs or far down the bron-
chial tube, for many years only a
fatal verdict could be given by the
most skilled surgeon. Due to the thick
cluster of arteries in that part of the
body the intrusion of the scalpel
would be almost certain to cause
death.
Since DR.. Jackson's invention has
come into practical use, however, such
objects are being removed almost
daily without any pain and with the
use of only local anesthetic. This is
usually in the form of cocaine spray
in the lining of the mouth to prevent
gagging. The operation itself it prac-
tically painless.
The patient is placed on an oper-
ating table tilted at an angle of about
forty-five degrees with the head
downward. This has the effect of
forcing the head forward, not back
ward as would commonly be supposed.
The position of the patient makes the
larynx and bronchial tubes as nearly
IN straight line as anatomically pos
sible. Here is where the skill of the
operators assistant comes into play.
He must be very nearly as skillful
as tn esurgeon in charge of the oper-
alton as he holds the patients head
and manipulates it so that the stiff
tube can move into the lungs without
injuring the tissues.
The object to be removed is first
located by an X-ray photograph and
the nthe tiny little light on the end
of the bronchoscope shows the foreign
body to the operator. 1t is at this
point in the operation that the skill of
the inventor is most evident. 1t is
here that specially designed forcepts
come into play.
These forCeps are of various kinds
fitted for a variety of uses. All of
them are long and thin, for insertion
d, down the tube and they are all equip
ped at the end in the operators hands
with either a set of handles similar
to those on shears or a tiny pistol.
like grip with a trigger.
), The most commonly used type Of
forcepts has tweezer-like jaws at the
: end, which are set on pivot permit
ting them to be operated either on the
, vertical or at right angles. The most
ingenius type perhas has a long
tube running down the center with &
specially arranged spring wire at
e tached to the trigger at the end. The
construction of the wire is such thai