REMARKABLE OPERATION

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7448, 24 May 1911, Page 7

REMARKABLE OPERATION

At St. John's Hospital, New York (saya , the, correspondent of the “Daily Tele* graph ” on March 21st), the surgeons have almost finished building an entirely new : face on Timothy Martin, who, several months ago, was shockingly disfigured by : falling head downwards into the cogwheels of some machinery. His mouth. • and nose were gone, and the muscles of the face cut so badly that .he could , neither eat nor talk. Martin did not die, but displayed remarkable vitality, 'so that finally the chief j>rdblem before the surgeons was whether his face could bo restored to some semblance of humam shape and beauty. Specialists held a consultation., and decided to make the attempt. The first step was to make a new mouth and build muscles around it, so that Martin could learn again to tails ■and cat. The process was slow, and (ha surgery delicate and ■ difficult, but the • • doctors worked patiently, and Martin was courageous and hopeful. Gradually the now month was shaped, the surgeons adding muscles' taken from other parts of the body, and knitting,them to what had been left of the muscles of the faco. The muscles slowly grew, strong. and by degrees Martin learned to" use them, and was joyful at being able to speak to the surgeons. At last Martin became able to eat with, case, and talk almost as well as before the accident. ’ Skin Was grafted to , the mouth and cheeks with such deftness that the lower part of the face, it is said, was almost the same os that of' an. ordinary man. The next and final step was to provide a new nose. That work began : yesterday. The man's left arm was .fixed rigidly to the upper left side of the face. The nail of the Tittle finger ' was removed, and that finger slit lengthwise, and,'the freshly-opened flesh was laid in the hollow of the- face where the nose formerly was. The plan was to , let the finger: grow fast in ils place, and when the cohesion had become suffi. 1 cieutly strong, to: amputate the finger and continue the work building the skin around the nose.