The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-06-08
CALLS ON SICK
VIA WIRELESS
Ships Surgeon Treats Emer-
gency Cases by Radio.
ADVICE SAVES MANY LIVES

Among his associates on shipboard
and for that matter among his lands
| men friends, he Is known as Wireless
| Doc Irwin.
Professionally he Is DR.. William S
Irwin, ships surgeon Of the United
| States Lines steamship Presiden
Harding, and it has fallen to his lot
during his twenty years service as 6
ships surgeon to diagnose and treat
by wireless myriad cases Of sickness
and emergency operations.
Recently he gave emergency treat.
ment to seaman who had been strick
en- blind on a freighter and to another
who had fallen down hatch and sus-
tained conclusion Of the brain and in
ternal injuries. At the time, the Pres
ident Harding was 200 or more miles
from the vessels asking for medical
advice. Later both men were taken on
board the President Harding in mid
ocean for direct treatment.
On March "a the wireless operator
picked up a call from the freighter
Narcissus stating that Joseph Larue,
seaman, had been suddenly and mys-
teriously stricken blind. Both vessels
were then 1000 miles from port and
"a hours distant from each other.
Questions Through Air.
With infinite patience Doctor Irwin
sat in the wireless room and talked
with the officers Of the Narcissus.
There was questioning and cross ques-
tioning flashed through the air.
Doctor Irwin diagnosed Larue's case
as one Of toxic amblyopia, necessitat-
ing immediate medical treatment in or
der to save the sight. The vessels
courses were headed for each other
and in few hours Larue was taken to
the Narcissus In a small boat and
transferred to the President Harding,
where he was under the immediate su-
pervision Of Doctor Irwin. Larue is
the son Of q Texas banker who had
shipped as a seaman for the benefit Of
his health. He is a graduate Of the
Texas Agricultural and Mechanical
university.
Larue completely recovered his sight
under the care Of Doctor Irwin and
appealed to Captain Grening Of the
President Harding to permit him to
sign on as a member Of the crew. He
is now a member.
In many cases Of appeals from
freighters which have had no doctors on
board, Doctor Irwin has been particu
larly successful. All his wireless"
patients have recovered. He has pc
culiar faculty Of getting from the lay
mind over the wireless the exact symp
toms.
Most Remarkable Experience.
Perhaps his most remarkable expe-
rience in that line was a wireless OPP
Grafton" while he was serving on a
liner In the South American service.
Passing through the Caribbean sea q
wireless reached the doctor that a
keeper Of lighthouse on Swan island,
of the coast Of Honduras, needed sur
gical aid. On the island, far from the
was the keeper, his wife, a
operator and two workmen.
The message stated that the keeper
had developed gangrene In his leg.
Doctor Twins vessel was nearly 1000
miles distant. Symptoms showed an
immediate operation was necessary to
save the life of the keeper Of the light
Part of the gangrenous leg would have
% be amputated. Here was big Job
% be tackled by unskilled hands.
As 1t meant death within a short
line anyway unless attempted, Doctor
irwin wirelessed them in detail how
o cut of the gangrenous portion Of |
he leg. With the wireless operator at |
he key every minute, Doctor Irwin
old the lay surgeons how to sterilize |
he knives, how to cut, how to tie ar
cries and how to sew the flesh over
he stump. Only a local anesthetic |
vas given.
Doctor Irwin had his vessel slowed |
Iown for q while so he could keep In
wireless touch with his patient. After
wo days, word was received that the
eeper was responding to treatment
nd no infection had resulted. He
recovered.