REMARKABLE OPERATIONS.

Otaki Mail, 17 August 1923, Page 4

REMARKABLE OPERATIONS.

A CASE IN ADELAIDE. What''is claimed to be the only opertion of its kind ever performed in Australia was carried out at the Keswick Military Hospital, Adelaide, recently. The patient, Frederick William Grosser, is a railway porter, living at Tor-j rensvillu. In 1917, while on active ser- '. vice, Grosser was severely wounded, receiving shrapnel bullets in one side of the neck, and just escaping death through medical attention being im- j mediately available, though internal j bleeding and aneurism resulted, and J Grosser had to be three times operated upon in England. '■ Oil his return to Australia, after re- , suming his civil occupation, he esper- j ienced trouble in the upper region of' one arm, causing pain and rendering the limb partially useless. Layers of congested blood spread through his system, pressing on the nerves, and the man's condition gradually became grave. Eventually, as a last resort, to save his life, the operation took place, lasting five hours. Both Grosser and his wife wore pre- f 1 pared for the worst, but the patient j displayed remarkable courage during j the operation, which was performed by j two leading surgeons, assisted by three • other doctors, \ ■ The operation had only been previously undertaken, It wag stated, on j dead bodies, for experiment, and not j hitherto in Australia on &-livin,g person. ■ The decay of a main artery necessitated the opening of the flesh, to Vielow the bottom of the heart, and for hours the patient's life hung on a. ! thread. . ) It is now reported thai although ingreat pain, which is being minimised by morphia, Grosser's recovery is expected. !