A REMARKABLE OPERATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 178, 23 April 1908, Page 8

A REMARKABLE OPERATION.

An astounding surgical operation is reported by Professor Sullsn in the "Gorman Medical Weekly." 1 ' The heart of a person who attempted suicide and fired a bullet into it. was taken , out and sewn up and tho patient discharged from hospital sixweeks later-absolutely cured.Professor Sultan gives the following account of the operation;,which is believed to be without parallel:— "On June 23 last the patient, a cabinetmaker,, thirty-eight years old, fiied at his heart with a small-calibre revolver. Examination. showed a small powder-blackened hole in the heart through which hardly any blood issued. Late in the ovening of the second _ day, thirty hours after the shooting we decided to operate, and made an incision in the sternum. . "As soon as the cardial sac was opened a great quantity of dark blood oozed forth. Tho heart, lying quite free for its entiro length, was carefully lifted up. Upon tho frontal side appeared only a small extravasation tho size-of a lentil, but as soon as tho heart was turned towards tho right thoro appeared a small wound with ragged edges about half a contimotrn in diameter. With three stitches of fine silk thread tho edgos of the wound were neatly joine.d, while for safety's sako another seam was 'inado at tho' extravasation. "To hold the strongly beating heart whilo sowing was in progress required considerable force. Every timo the heart was turned to the right in order to make a stitch tho pulse was diminised until it was scarcely audible, but when the heart was turned round the beats again becamo normal. After all tho blood had been drained from tho'sac the entrance-hole of the bullet becamo visible and it was immediately closed -.by catgut! When the chest incision had been repaired breathing and pulso becamo entirely normal."