SURCERY OF THE HEART.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13394, 30 May 1914, Page 10

SURCERY OF THE HEART.

DARING AMERICAN EXPEIU-

MENTS.

Dr Alexis Carrel, of tho Rockefeller Institute foiv Medical Research, whose i achievements wer© rewarded, with the Nobel Rrize in 1912, addressing the American. Surgical Association . in New York, described a series of successful operations on the valves and orifices of the hearts of dogs. He declared that, the object of the operations is that they will ultimately be applied in human surgery. He as? serted that some day surgeons will be able to cauterise* lesions of .the. valves in human subjects and, repair .rthem. as easily, or. almost as. easily, ,a# ho himself has been able, to dov in- 'experimental operations on animals. t _ The astonishing feature of the operations is. their technique. Tho chestwall having been opened' the ;podicle of the heart — that is,, the mass of blood vessels, and ligaments by which it . is suspended — is seized by*. -a- dozen, forceps whose metal j aws: are •'■with' soft rubber. This shuts off all ■ circulation from the heart itself, so that the- organ hangs as an inanimate object. It is safe, Dr Carrel declares j thus to arrest the circulation! for two and » a half minutes. . . . :

Tho ■■ operations, wore performed for the purpose of learning -whether • operations, such as should be made in -cases of inflammation, stenosis ("contraction 1 ?), or dilatation of the opening were pos? sible.- Dp Garrel found those opera,: tiona could Be performed Twtbi but' 1 little clanger to the life of animals.' ' " •■ The most remarkable feature 1 of • these experiments (says a Times medical ' correspondent) is the fact' that the heart was, stopped >or rather "short circuited," during, the. progress. The heart was actually opened 'and/ either the vegetations (or growths) oh ' diseased yalyes^ cauterised, or where there was narrowing of a passage dilatation clamed out, 1 or -finally, where a passage -was dilated a few. otitches inserted to. narrow it. The heart was then stitched' up again and the circulation "turned on." Though there are several cases onrecord of; the successful treatment of ismall • wounds ;of the heart by istitqhing, the work of Dr Carrel is revolutionary.