Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-10-11
Doctor Tells
Operation
To Aid Heart
Eurly Sympothecton,y
Urged at Assembly
OF Medical Society
BY John M. McKELWAY

OF Medical Society
BY JOHN M. McKELWAY
Still another thrust at the
Nations big killer. heart disease.
was described today to District
doctors attending the 25th an
nual scientific ASSEMBLY, Of the
District Medical Society at the
Hotel Statler.
This was the surgical TECH
nique Of stripping from blood
ways nerves which carry cons
stricting messages. Under nor
NAL condition. the messages re-
duce bleeding or quicken the
speed OF blood now when the
body calls for 1t.
Reporting on the orepation,
called q sympathectofny. was Or.
Gerald II. Pratt, New York Uli-
versity surgeon. His talk reps
PRESENTED the second means Of
dealing with heart disease re-
ported SO far at the three-day
medical meeting. Yesterday. adj
yocates OF surgery within the
heart presented their ideas on
meeting the widespread disease.
the country's chief concern at
1.-THE moment.
Blood Supply Reduced
DR.. Pratt asked for early SYM
lpathectomies 10. meet the tend
lency OF blood vessels to construct
lin adult years or as reaction
Ito deposits which form on the
inner walls of vessels. DR.. Pratt
said when vessels permanently
lconstrict under these conditions
the supply OF blood to the arms
and legs Is greatly reduced, Gam
Igrene. severe pain and blood clot-
ting are frequently the result
1 The doctor advocated the VEIN
stripping technique before these
conditions have become far adj
lyanced. After such an operation,
Earteries would no longer receive
iconstricting impulses and blood
1 flow would be increased.
! Another speaker, DR.. Karl c.
Jonas. chief of surgery at Stet-
Ison Hospital in Philadelphia. ex-
pressed some promise In surgery
which removes an entire stom-
Iach when 1t is riddled with cam
Ger.
Paradoxically, DR.. Jonas point
ed out. the operation often wipes
tout cancer but turns the patient
into Q 'gastronomic cripple. "
!! The operation described by
IDr. Jonas Is one which trans
plants a section Of the large In
/ testine into position whereby
10 takes over the function of the
removed stomach. DR. jonas
lsaid medicine must still search
ito find q more suitable stomach
Substitute.
New Drug Passes Tests
A new drug. now widely in use
lin the treatment of the inentalls
i'll. passed a stiff test today In .
report based on It's drawbacks.
The drug, chlorpromazine. has
been In use at st. Elizabeths Hos
lpital since last summer as vel
las at D. c. General Hospital In
1.-THE treatment Of alcoholics. Its
Ichief advantage Is in inducing a
lrelaxed state in once frenzied
patients. 1t has been used
primarily for mentally III but
to q lesser degree for alcoholics
Or. Jacob Kirsnner reported
today on chlOrpromazine's side
Ieffects--the stiff test that fol-
lows q drugs widespread use.
| DR.. Kirshner, research fellow
at the Kingsbridge VA Hospital
in New York, described the drug
Jas a powerful and useful drug
with q wide variety Of actions"
Some Toxic Reactions
However. he added. chlorpro-
mazine is not without side
effects. These are not Of q
serious enough nature to forbid
Its further use. He said the drug
has a wide variety Of side-effects
and complications so that one
should not prescribe it for trivial
troubles.
Among drawbacks to the drug
were skin eruptions and jaun-
ldice--"the most important COM
lphcatlon Of chlorpromazine. !" As
complications he also listed low
blood pressure. general lethargy
and sleepiness.