A MEDICAL CURIOSITY

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 31, 9 January 1930, Page 8

A MEDICAL CURIOSITY

GIRL 33 ORGANS MOVE

iifcto a Sydney Hospital ward was introduced a medical curiosity—a small girl suffering an "unusual an dpainful complaint. The child's heart anaf cheat organs have been pushed over to the right side of her body, and where her heart should be is a cavity filled with wind^ ' ■ -

Little Mavis Keeghan is the medical euriasity instanced, and she was brought \ to the hospital suffering all the symp- j toms of severe bronchitis. Close medical J examination, however, showed that for I some reason the girls-heart and entire chest organs had; moved over to the right j side.and further investigation convinced j doctors that there was an air-filled^ space j where the heart should be.

Pressure of the air forced the lungs close together and "moved the heart from the left to the right side. Thus all the child's organs were congested! on. tne right side, while the, other side was a huge cavity. ' * __ . ■

Doctors were faced with a problem in that any swift action, to relieve the child of her might have fatal results. They'found they must remove the air"' little by little. ,

Each day a tube has been inserted into her chest and a portion of the air drawn off. Already the heart and lungs are in the centre of the body, and doctors are confident that us more air is drawn off the organs will return to their rightful place.

The complaint from wheih the girl is suffering is known to medical science as pneumo-thorax, few. cases being on record in this, country, though medical men have found,- in.. other countries, cases where the heart has been moved almost to the solar plexus.