Montana labor news., 1938-02-17

lie 9Th annual winter session of the
University at Madison. They are
lie pen. Federated Pictures)
striking the slope of the pile of
waste. My foot was twisted COM
pletely off, the big bones just being
held by the skin. I called, no one
heard because a buzzy was going
on there in the intermediate. It
stopped. l called, Shortly again
to a little Filipino who was running
the buzzy and he came from the
floor above where he was working
to help me. I was taken to st.
James hospital, and made comfort
able until Wednesday morning when
x-rays were taken and DR.. Shields
started to set the shattered ankle.
[ told DR.. Shields that he could cut
my head off but he was not to ampu-
tate and he replied that he would
not do SO. I was slow in taking the
ether and DR.. O'Keefe, who was ad-
ministering it to me, remarked to
Dr.. Shields about it, whereup he
replied that I had a wonderful con-
stitution. Of course l was under
ether after the ankle was set, and
was put to bed.
The following weeks when I was
taken down to the dressing room for
DR.. Shields to see how the ankle
was getting along, a physician came
through the dressing room as I was
having the bandages taken off my
leg and looking over his shoulder
asked DR.. Shields, What have you
got there, a broken ankle?" DR..
Shields looked over the top of his
glasses, and replied, ''You should
have seen that ankle when it came
in here; it was completely gone"
While the ankle was being dressed
DR.. Shields told me that my ankle
would be stiff and that I would be
unable to use it; that there was
shattered bone in there that would
have to come out, but that that
would be attended to later and that
it would not be put in a cast for the
present. The ankle never was put
in a cast, and the shattered bone in
the ankle never was removed, and
l found that l could work the foot
a bit, the ankle now was completely
stiff although I could not bear the
weight of my body on my ankle, it
would fatigue and hurt, and I have
always used crutches in the inter
vening years,
l left the hospital between nine
and ten weeks after I was hurt. I
was given cod liver oil to take in
ternally, soap liniment to put on the
ankle and aspirin when it panied.
Late in the fall of 1881 more x-ray
pictures of the ankle were taken by
DR.. Joe Kane, and DR.. Shields told
me that he should amputate, that l
could have an artificial limb and
that l could get around as good as
ever. The idea of amputation was
repulsive. l was afraid of tripping
and falling, l knew that other men
who had had amputations COM
planned about their artificial limbs,
and in some cases were unable to
wear them, and used crutches. I
queried other physicians and they
all said that there was no reason for
amputation. That the only two rea-
sons for amputations, were badly
mangled limbs and gangrene, Meth
er of which applied in my case, and
l have seen cases here where ampu-
tations caused infection, and more
amputation. When l went up to get
my compensation just before New
Years, Jerry Shea insisted that l
consent to amputation. That meant
that if l did consent and infection
set in, causing my death, it would
be too bad; but I had acquiesced to
amputation. I asked Jerry Shea as
long as they were so anxious for my
consent to amputate, would they pay
for the artificial limb, and got a
prompt refusal.
The spring of 1882 DR.. Shields
sent me up to DR.. Newman for blood
tests. A well known physician told
me to refuse blood tests, that there
would be something the matter with
my blood if l let them give me blood
tests. However, there were repeated
tests taken, and DR.. Newman asked
me how my teeth and tonsils were.
l replied that they were all right
and l felt fine except for the bad
ankle. DR.. Shields told me that 1
had syphilis germs in my blood, and
that it was very essential that II
amputate; that l would not be al
right until l did amputate. l had
always felt or heard that wounds
did not heal up where there were
syphilis germs in the blood, and