SURGERY OLD AND NEW

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 252, 7 October 1932, Page 12

SURGERY OLD AND NEW

A STRIKING COMPARISON ASSASSINATION OF A PRINCE. HOW HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SAVED. A recent issue of the “Revue de Paris’’ contains an article by Dr. de Martel, in which a striking comparison is made between old and modern systems of surgery. This great French surgeon has apparently inherited the literary gifts of his mother, the late Comtesse de Martel, who, under the pen-name of “Gyp,” was responsible for so many sprightly stories.

Following a description written by the surgeon who attempted to s.ave the life of the Due de Berry in 1820 is Dr. de Martel’s account of the methods which would have been adopted to-day. The assassination of the Due de Berry, son of the French King Charles the Tenth, was one of the most sensational crimes of the last century; while standing on the fteps of the Opera House he was stabbed through the heart and lungs by a madman. CRUDENESS AND CRUELTY. At that time (112 years ago) surgery was in one of its most backward stages. The use of opium to relieve pain, and of alcohol to cleanse wounds had been discarded as out-of-date remedies, and the surgeon’s knife in consequence had become a short cut to the cemetery, paved with agonising pain. Dupuytren, the famour surgeon of that day, unconsciously illustrates the crudeness and cruelty of their methods in his detailed report to the Government as to the means employed by himself and his colleagues to save the Due de Berry’s life. After the dagger had been withdrawn the surgeons—four of them were called in—enlarged the wound slightly so as to allow the blood to flow, hoping thus to relieve the oppression of the lungs. Then they bled the Duke three times, on arms apd leg, and cupped all over his chest. One doctor even went so far as to suck the wound with his mouth—all this taking place in the waiting room of the Opera, with numerous relatives and officials crowding around. As these diverse remedies brought no relief to the dying Prince, the doctors decided to operate. The operation consisted in making an incision close to the wound—a doctor with his finger exploring its depth and position. Finding it to be hopelessly inaccessible the surgeons covered the wound and waited for the Prince io die, clasping his hand from time to time to relieve his agony. He died after several hours of intense suffering, which he endured without losing consciousness. IF IT HAD BEEN TO-DAY. Dr. de Martel has transferred the attempted murder of this unfortunate Prince to the present century. In clear, concise and graceful language he shows us how modern surgery would cope with such a case. The following is a summary of his report of the imaginary operation:— The Due de Berry has been stabbed through the heart and lungs. The news has been telephoned to the surgeon. Within fifteen minutes the Prince is on the operating table of the nearest hospital, having been transported there in a six-detaehable-wheeled ambulance.

X-rays lay bare the position of the dagger, which must on no account be touched. The patient is given an anaesthetic of oxygen and chloroform by a tube through the trachea, this method suppressing the respiratory movements of the lungs. During the whole of the operation transfusion of blood is taking place. RECOVERED IN A WEEK. A large and deep incision is made in the thorax. A linen ligature is passed through the right auricle of the heart and three more in the top and bottom lips of the cardiac wound. Only then can the dagger be removed—a large aspirator meanwhile sucking away the surplus blood, which otherwise would have swamped and hindered the surgeon. The threads are swiftly knotted together and two extra ones added; a living pigeon’s muscle is then applied to the cardiac wound, for muscles, especially those of birds, coagulate the blood, and this prevents haemorrhage. The wound in the lung is then sutured by a special purse-string, and the exterior of the incision finally stitched together. In a week or so the Due de Berry, completely recovered, leaves the hospital, and yet another miracle has been inscribed on the tablets of science.