| Show IN ETHERS GRIP I How It Feels to be Anaesthetized Anaesthe-tized and Knifed aIl K rH FIST OPERATION DESCRIBED Curious Dreams Under the Surgeons Instruments Instru-ments A Foot In Ashes That Still Gives Pain The story is related of an old naval officerb who while engaged in cutting out n frgato in the early part of Irs l career was disabled I by a blow upon his back Long aft r he had passed thomeridian of Jife n tumor formed near tho injured part which it became necessary neces-sary to remove by a surgical operation I Brave a ho was and willing to meet death in any shape without I quiver the mero thought of a surgeons knife excited the most childish fears and months passed before ho consented to its u When the operation was finialuid the I III j l I f 1 < 1f t f nJ iL g > < 1 J > j i 17 i I t L1 t t f t 11 t I tJ < i 2 JJ I W 1 I I I rf 1 OPERATING ON THE OLD CAPTAIN doctor inquiringly remarked Well captain cap-tain it didnt hurt as much as you expected ex-pected True enough was tho reply the hurt was in the anticipation but I would rather bo shot in I quickstep t tho tune of Yankee Doodle than be knifed t tho slow music of Old Hundred Prior to 1S4I5 pain was partially relieved by tho use of opium Indian hemp copious draughts of whisky arid brandy hat mado the patient drunk and a few other articles known to chemistry and tho materia medica but during that year the scientific world was startled by the announcement that an American Amer-ican had discovered in pure sulphuric ether an ano thetic that war destined to become a blessing t mankind At first the information informa-tion was received with doubt When however the first surgical operation with tho use of ether demonstrated tho now truth tho exultation of professional men knew no bounds and everywhere on both sides of the Atlantic in private practice and in the hospitals the experiments that followed follow-ed added fresh triumphs t tho discovery Dr Oliver Wendell Holmes one of the most Harvards Tho eminent of professors wrote knife searching for disease the pulleys aro dragging back dislocated limbs nature herself her-self is working out ttfe primal curse that doomed tha teudcrest of her creatures t tho sharpest of her trial but the fierce estrom ity ot her sulYcimg has been steeped in the waters of forgetfulness and tho dcepeot furrow fur-row in the knotted brow of agony has base L buioothed forever The circumstances attending tho first operation oper-ation it took place t the Massachusetts General Gen-eral hospital in Bostonare worth recalling The scene says Dr Hayward operating surgeon was one ofsurpassing interest The operating room waVtcrowded many were I obliged to stand Pes des tho class of students stu-dents m attendance on the lectures numbering number-ing more than one hundred and many of the principal physicians and surgeons of the neighborhood there were present clergymen lawyers and other individuals from the various vari-ous callings of life Wlien I entered the theatre the-atre beforo tho patient was brought in I found it to my surprise filled in every part except the floor on which the table stood with persons on whose countenance was depicted tho almost painful anxiety with which they awaited the result of the experiment they were about t witness rI simply told them that I had decided wljlj the advice of mj colleagues to allow the patient on whom I was tooperate toinhale an article which wa said t have the power of annulling pain Th S patient was then brought ina delicate looking look-ing girl of about 2Q years of age who had suffered suf-fered for a long time from 1 scrofulous discus 0 of the knee joint I told her I should let he r breathe something which hoped would prevent pre-vent her from suffering much from the operation oper-ation and that she need not be afraid o if breathing it freely Dr Hayward then grasped the patient limb with Ms left hand and held the auipu tating knifo behind him in his right carefull V concealed from view Tho mouthpiece o f thin inhaling instrument being put in her mouth sho was directed to take long inspirations inspira-tions After breathing in this way a short time the oTis were compressed so that a ii the air that went into the lungs must firs t pass through tho machine and be mixed with tho vapor of the ether Sho breathed with perfect ease and without struggling and in i about three minutes from tho timo the instrument instru-ment was put in her mouth Dr Morton tho discoverer said She i ready A death hko silence reigned in tho room no one moved or hardly breathed The doctor passed the knife directly through tho limb and brought it out as rapidly as he could and made the upper flap IJ ffi 1 r > 8 J c cr Ii j t r jit t t 1r i Mf c t 7I 1 fr tP 1 r ft r l 1rfve l J W K h r oi I rrj r 7 I f I 1 r II f I > I E I |
