SURGERY WONDERS.

Taihape Daily Times, 5 December 1917, Page 6

SURGERY WONDERS.

REPAIR OP BROKEN SKULLS.

Replacing cfSs'troyed portions of the skull with, layers of cartilage taken from the patient’s own ribs is one of

Che latest methods of healing war injuries_ In the last issue of the “British Journal of Surgery,” Mr H. Warren Woodroffe, surgeon to the Ulster Volunteer Hospital in France, describes the method which has been successfully tried on a number of severely wounded soldiers. Cutting down to the ribs parallel to the breastbone, the surgeon slices off thin layers of the cartilage which attaches the bony ribs to the breastbone. These are laid in the gap. caused by the destruction of the skull after the scalp has been turned back. The scalp is then stitched back in place. Within a few weeks, instead of having no protection to the underlying brain, a hard layer of cartilage, firm though slightly elastic, is formed. Among the results Gained, in addition to the protection of the brain from further injury, the'patient suffers less from headaches, is less affected by noises, and can move his head about and bend forward without feeling any dizziness*