Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1896 — HOW TO BIERCE THE EAR. [ARTICLE]

HOW TO BIERCE THE EAR.

The Henlid contained recently a brief account of a little Italiau girl, four years of age. dying from blood poisoning, which set in the day after her mother had pierced her rars. The Italiau mother, in utter ignorance of the laws of health, drew a green thread through the holes which she had made in the child’s ears, to keep them open ipitil the wounds healed. Inflammation set in very soon after the operation. This occurrence brings properly on the tapis the 1 subject of ear-rings and pieruing ears. With a view of learning whether there were many such cases on record. I secured the* views of a surgeon whose* practice for the past twentydive years lias been largely confined to women. He read the brief article before making any comment. Then, as he returned the paper, he said: “No, I have never known of death caused by the operation before this one in the* Herald. But I have seen a great many cases of agony and suffering. And I have never seen the operation done* properly by mothers or jewelers. In the first place, the* ears are’never, except by chance, pierced so that the ear-rings will hang, or be held properly. One turns in and the other out. as a rule. One* is often higher than the other. The lobe* is pierced too high up. or too low down. One hole la nearer the face than the other. “The danger of blood poisoning Is not to be* ignored as of no account because* the operation is supposedly not n dangerous one. There is nothing right about this home* surgery. Tin* cleanest person, when it comes to a surgical operation, Is, without proper scientific laving, medically unclean. If you could but know the* extreme* cautions that arc* taken in all well conducted hospitals! The operating surgeon will not* allow any due to hand him a towel even, if such a one has not antiseptic-ally prepared his hands to act ns an assistant. All the instruments to be used have* been cleansed. A woman takes a needle, any needle, and threads it with any thread. This thread may have been in her work liasket months and months, lying next to other spools of all colors. Bhe would not think of washing her own hands or washing tin* ear to be pierced. A cork Is taken out of some bottle, any bottle, without thought as to what is in the* bottle, or how long the* cork has been exposed to the dust. This cork Is placed under the* lobe of the* ear for tin* needle to strike* against when it comes through. Inflammation (and suppuration naturally result. "1 have* always insisted that the operation should be done by a surgeon, and by one* who will take the trouble to do It properly.” “But would not so slight an operation be beneath the notice of a surgeon, Doctor?” “No, the rich can command these*, aud the* poor could have it done at hospitals." “How about wearing ear-rings, any way? Arc* not ear-rings a relic of both barbarism and ancient Biblical slavery ?” "I do not think that women should wear ear-rings. But so long as they will do it, the ears should be properly treated, so that the rings will hang gracefully and both alike. And, more important still, the danger should also be avoided. Wash the* lobe of the ear with a disinfectant. Make it surgically clean. Use a cutting needle. Pass it through the centre of the lobe, and at right angles to it. Use silk thread prepared so tlmt it is free from disease germs and will turn easily in the hole, that the tissues may not be Irritated.”