Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-07-23

partly he
MIR. PICKERING cause or re-
cent marveIs invented by medi-
cine, but most Of all because
OF the breathtaking team work
of doctors and nurses. I'm the
space OF FIVE minutes TrOmbley
was, for all practical purposes.
doomed 10 die. and then snatched
back from the brink OF death.
Trombley. hearing Of the
rioting, wisely asked police
whether IL was safe 10 20 10
the hospital. They reported the
neighborhood perfectly quiet
Unknown 10 either of them,
mobs were following the police.
Officers were reporting certain
localities as safe. AS soon as
the police left. the rioters
Amoved in behind them.
As Trombley arrived At
Brush and Hancock streets.
directly opposite Womans Hos
pital, the mob had just smashed
a truck. They turned on from
bley A brick hurled through
the window of his car stunned
him
Up on the fifth floor Of the
hoSpits. DIR. ". F.. Johnston
had Just finished an operation.
In sterile gown and gloves. he
looked down on the scene in
the street.
"They dragged Trombley out"
DR.. Johnston said. "One man
held him while another stabbed
him. IL was the most gruesome
thing I ever saw. In fact. ]
saw the knife thrust, and knew
right then what had happened.
could see IL going into his
heart"
Although stunned. Trombley
tried 10 protect himself with
his hands. They were SlaShed.
The rioters then threw INN
down and kicked him. In the
end. the ringIeaders OF the mob
picked Trombley up again and
gave him push across the
street toward the hospital
Bare conscious, Trombley
tottered forward
At that moment TrOmbley
was man condemned To i'm
mediate death. II he hadn't
been beside n hospital. IL the
doctor hadn't seen the knife
thrust, II a nurse and inferno
had been afraid 10 20 meet him.
IL the whole thing had happened
In l94l instead Of 1851 any
such small thing had been diff
ferent. Trombley would have
n bled TO death in a few minutes.
But having seen the attack.
DR.. Johnston knew exactly
what 10 expect. Trombley, now
completely unconscious. was
carried to the operating room,
There was no time 10 find his
blood type. hut by using plasma,
tipping makes no difference. For
nearly two years that hospital
has had plasma. Five minutes
after the knitting. TrOmbley was
getting a TRANSMISSION, and DIR.
Johnston. ignoring all minor
wounds. was at work on from
bIey's chest. sewing upsthe inch
wide slash in the heart cavity
itself.
The wound seemed 10 have
been made by a hunting knife
six 10 eight inches long. Be
sides penetrating the top Of
the heart, il punctured from
bley's lung. His scalp was laid
open. and the tendons were
severed in three fingers OF one
hand, and the thumb and one
finger OF the other, He had
minor cuts elsewhere.
Trombley was so completely
knocked out that they needed
no anesthetic except morphine.
Anyway, he very likely could
not have survived a general
anesthetic.
Once the critical closing Of
the heart wound was done. they
could look at the lesser wounds,
including the helpless fingers.
Separately. the cut tendons
were stitched together.
And that was the man who.
one month later. was able TO
go home, already able TO move
his fingers
Thus, in one drama. the tri-
tmph Of medicine and the
? shame Of mans brutality stood
side by side, and the better of
them won.
That night, DR.. Johnston had
10 call the police TO get safely