SAVING A PATIENT’S LIFE

Hokitika Guardian, 17 October 1925, Page 4

SAVING A PATIENT’S LIFE

HOSPITAL SKILL. MAN’S (STORY OF AN OPERATION. LONDON, Aug. 11. .A writer in the Londoir '‘Daily Mail’’ gives below his exerienees in the .Middlesex Hospital .My first real intimation that 1 was really "tor it." in the surgical sense, came with a visit from a tall, strong, kindly man well under middle-age. whom T had not seen since he pronounced for an operation. The big man took a paint brush, dipped it in a pinkish red stain, and began with swift movements to paint patterns of straight lines and squiggly Hits front each thigh to the ankle. I turned from side to side while lie examined his picture with the air ut a connoisseur. "I tilin'; that will do. Mr-—.” said lie to the house surgeon, and then with a pleasant nod went swifty on His way. "When arc you going to do me 7" I asked the house surgeon. "About four o'clock.” he replied briskly. It was now his turn to show hiuisell an artist wit 1 1 the brush, hirst he prepared the “canvas.” Then lie star led in with a brush full of yellow solution, and in two niiintl.es I was "Ml himself, the gilded one. a bright T X. I. yellow from Hips to heels, through which the pink lines showed faintly ■ With legs light ly swathed in cottonwool and gauze bandages I caretnll.v slid into lied. LXC’ANXILY QL I Ml'. "Next” was the sudden, quick entry of a nurse carrying a buttle ot antiseptic lotion and a large, fierec-lnouiug hypodermic syringe. (Mtirkly she ruliod up the loose grey sleeve el my robe and dabbed a place 011 my tipper arm with lotion, into tins area she sank the needle, well ami truly. A long jab and tin'll Llmt strange, all-over creeping away sensation. The room tilled with, p.'nple. A table and chairs were hastily removed to make way for a whe"!ed litter, the height of my lied. Witii it were two while-coiled women, al-o the sister and 111 v own nurse.

The lilt rattled as I went tin a floor or two. Tin' rubber wheels of the ambulance glided silently over the corridor Hoor.

Through a door into another small loom. From my ilatloned position ! could see gas apparatus. "I shall give you gas first: and I lien on to niter." llie anaesthetist had said.

Ilis ham! approached with a gasmask. I lay flat and limp. bauds stretched beside me. Hall a dozen deep breaths and I felt myself going. It was dark. I would feel nothing. But a million hammers were roaring a tattoo in my ears and still I could hear short, quick tall; between the anaesthetist and the nurses. This was what I had feared. I was helpless and still conscious.

It was useless to attempt to speak, f signalled with my right hand. My reassuring friend caught the idea, and strangely his clear voice sounded out of 1 lie noise and darkm-s: "Thai's all right. \Ye know you haven’t gone off yet. It's quite all right, you're doing splendidly- s.piendidlv—fine." A GOLDEN RADIANCE.

The roaring increased a tliousaudfold. My hand dropped. Tito voice ceased. Ami suddenly ah !no more noise. m> more blackness. A lovely golden radiance, the exquisite perfection of an unknown sun in an early summer somewhere- I knew 1 was “olf" at last and I knew no more. They tell that 1 was four hours In the theatre, that it was a lugger job than bad been anticipated—in short, that between us we broke a record; and diil it very well.

I try to picture those four hours. Two surgeons, the lug man with i lie rimmed elasse-, whose time to the private palieiil is worth 1 know lid Imw mm h : the bouse surgeon, who i- e"ilig to b" a tug man too one of these (lavs: ill.- anaesthetist, whose skill In keening me alive amt slit! ilia ouseieiis fee amiliolivs amazes nil' : Die nur'-'e, who tells me 1 lint, she missed her t<a tub "wouldn't have missed your operation for anything." These two siroiig young, men worked wit limit- ceasing--cutting, lying, sorting out, ami finally sewing me un with ma-lerly hands and D'" (.'lnver stitchwhit'll i< an over and over stitch pulled light, as I lime since found out. having had scores of them taken out again.

Four hours of patient, sktllul. critical nianipulal ion with scissors, knives, forceps, sewing needles, and rat-gut. Everything done with a vi-w to selling me on mt legs again. No chances taken. ,\ n atmosphere of disinleel aul. SI rung lights. Very hot - the hotte-l. datnrest day of Die year- wit!' a thunderstorm ready to Hurst. And how it did hurst at 2.t!9 in the morning! Why did they do iih \Yhv give all lliis time, labour intense skill am! concentration lo a hospital patient ler no ohligaliou to pay them, or rattier 1 lie liespitai. a pciiuv for it. all f 1 "eauie In" at I I .TO. verv I ired. very full of ether, very iigiiDv Hi:: 1 - daged from hip lo heels, with a 'sc to hand with a cmil'ori i iig drink, ami not till' slightest recollection of anything from Die time 1 saw that lovely golden sunburst until that moment. At 2.20 a. lll. Die lir.i big thiimlersidiiu i.f Die summer smashed and r-'iir-c-d. 1 woke and Tepi again. Ami D ■ next time I woke T was readx ler my In Helicon of (lie day bel'oie.