History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

General Surgery 1*73dissecting up from the bone to be removed sufficient periosteum to coverthe end of the bone. The bone was to be sawn in such a manner as to leavethe end convex. The use of drainage tubes was also ad\ ised as advocated byAndrews of Chicago. He recalled that Sims had described the use offenestrated drainage tubes extending down into the vagina or the cul-de-sacof Douglas.The death of Napoleon in the last year was discussed; it was said thathis death was hastened, if not entirely brought about, by the operations hehad undergone for crushing stones in the bladder. Dr. White related fiverecent urethrotomies for stone by Dr. W. Hill in Bloomington, all of whichwere successful.In spite of the barrenness of the year's progress in surgery, the chairmancontinued with his talk on "the diseases known under the generic term,Cancer .... These were heretofore generally considered local manifestationsof a constitutional taint. They are now believed to be primarily local.There is no dyscrasia of the blood, but of the cancer cell or cancer cylinderwhich was originally a white corpuscle obstructed in its course and changedin its character while passing through some dense obstruction. . . . Allother forms are as purely local in their origins as is the epithelial." Hemade one of the first pleas for early local excision of cancer.The subject of shock was also discussed. Its treatment by stimulants wasobjected to, the use of alcohol was decried, and a preparation of opiumalong with dry heat was advised to avoid further strain on the nervous tissue."The condition of shock, probably, in a majority of cases, conduces to thesafety of the patient by the prevention of hemorrhage." He doubted thevalue of "bleeding" and said "as elsewhere, in medio tutissimus ibis."Speaking of caries of bone, White referred to Dr. Gunn's suggestion of"Idling the cavity with a plug of carbolated wax" which had an advantageover cotton. They also used linseed oil with silver nitrate and placed overthis a large dressing of cotton batting for pressure, slowly removing thecotton later. He also stated that sulphuric ether was the safest anestheticand was better than nitrous oxide. Chloroform had been recognized as anunsafe agent.In the discussion on shock, Dr. Prince was in favor of the use of alcohol.Dr. Andrews asked if anyone had used oxygen inhalations, stating that Dr.McGraw of Detroit (inventor of the McGraw rubber ligature for gastroenterostomy)had employed it successfully. Nothing had as yet been statedabout blood pressure.A report on the treatment of fractures in Illinois was made by Dr. J.B.Hamilton of Kane County, in which he stated that fracture of the femurwas of first importance and diat treatment with a long lateral splint gavegood results. Dr. Plummer of Rock Island said he used Truesdale's fracture