Evening star., 1934-05-01
MEDICAL SOCIETY
SESSIONS OOPEN
Heart and Lung Surgery to
Be Described at Scien.
tific Assembly.

Heart and lung surgery. represent
Ing some Of the latest advances in
surgical science, will be. described or
demonstrated before the annual
scientific assembly of the Medical
Society of the District Of Columbia
which opens tomorrow at the society's
building, 1718 M street.
One of the newest fields will be the
subject Of a paper by DR.. H. H. Kerr
on 'mid-sternal thoractomy" The
washington surgeon will present de-
tails of an original method for OPEN
ing the thorax for surgical attack on
the heart, lungs and mediastinum.
Removal Of Tumors.
BY this method. tumors within the
chest can be removed and the lobes
of a lung, or even a whole lung, can
be taken out. The new method, Dr.
Kerr will demonstrate, also offers
possible surgical relief in certain
forms Of heart disease.
DR.. David Davis will present a
paper on the use of the bronchoscope
for diagnosis of cancer of the lung.
This instrument is a straight, rigid
metal tube, electrically lighted. which
Is inserted through the mouth into
the lungs. The bronchial tubes can
be examined, the cancer seen, and a
diagnosis made by this means before
1t could be made by any other.
Surgery Of the lung now has ad-
vanced to such stage, 1t will be
shown, that successful operations for
the removal Of cancerous lungs have
been carried out in various parts of
the country. The difficulty in the
past has been to get the cases early
enough to cure them by operation. If
the cancer is small enough and is To-
Gated in one of the bronchial tubes,
1t Is sometimes possible to remove it
through the bronchoscope itself. or a
piece can be removed and examined
through the microscope in order to
obtain correct diagnosis.
DR.. James I. Cahill will present de-
tails OF a comparatively new disease,
osteitis hbrosa cystica, which has been
recognized only within the past few
years.
1t S characterized by a widespread
bone absorption and leaves the bone
the consistency of a paper shell-thin,
brittle and easily broken. It is the
opposite condition to the slow ossifl-
cation Of the body which has recently
attracted wide attention. This very
rare disease is due to a overfunction-
ing of the parathyroid glands. The
treatment Is either by radiation or
by removal Of the gland, and the lat
ter is the preferred treatment.
Committee in. Charge.
The following committees are in
charge Of the scientific assembly:
Arrangements, DR.. Don S. knowl-
ton, chairman; attendance, DR.. Will
liam T. Davis, chairman: DR.. Harry
F. Anderson, DR.. Montgomery Blair,
jr.; Dr.. J. Burton Glenn, DR.. Laurence
S. Otell, DR.. Leroy L. Sawyer, jr; DR..
w. Calhoun Stirling, Dr. Fred r. San
derson and DR.. Frederick A. Reuter-
Luncheon, Dr. Arnold McNitt, chair
man; DR.. Jeter c. Bradley and Dr.
Claude Moore: Halls, DR.. A. B. Ben
nett; Exhibits, Dr.. Eugene r, Whit
more; Program, DR.. Ernest E. Hadley,
chairman; DR.. Joseph F. Edward, DR..
Matthew White Perry. Dr.. Herbert H
Schoenfeld and Dr.. G. Victor Simp-
son: Surgical Clinics, DR.. James A.
Cahill, jr.. chairman; DR.. Robert E.
Moran, DR.. Philip A. Caulfleld, DR..
Frederick c. Fishback, DR.. Valentine