OPERATION TO SAVE
A YOUTH'S MIND
PART OF CLYDE TURNER'S SKULL
IS CUT AWAY.
Butted His Head Agasint the Wall
When a Child and Was
Becoming Viciously
Insane. May Be
Cured.
Clyde Turner, a 15-year-old lad, a ward of the children's court, a portion of whose skull was removed Tuesday afternoon with the idea that he might, by the operation, grow up to be a good and bright boy, was reported last night by the Post Graduate hospital, Independence avenue and Campbell street, where the operation was performed, as doing well.
Clyde's case is the first of the sort in the history of the Kansas City children's court, and the second or third in the court history of the United States. Some years ago a lad in Philadelphia was trephined to cure bad habits, and there was a somewhat similar, but not exactly parallel, case in Omaha recently. Six months ago the Kansas City children's court removed Dewey Marcuvitz's tonsils to mend his ways, but the operation was only partially successful.
PRESSED DOWN BRAIN.
The lad who now lies on a cot at the Post Graduate hospital with a piece of his skull the size of a teacup taken away, has had an unfortunate life. His parents died when he was a month old and he was adopted by George Pack, an employe of the Kansas City Bold and Nut Compnay of Sheffield, who lives at Hocker and Sea streets in Independence. The baby Clyde had a habit of butting his head against the wall whenever he was vexed. Efforts were made to break him of this, but he was not cured until he had flattened the crown of his head.
He grew up "simple," and when 12 years old was sent to the Missouri colony for the feeble-minded in Marshall, Mo. He seemed to improve there, and was released about a year ago. He did not get along very well with his foster parents, although they treated him as they would their own son. Two weeks ago, according to the story told by Mrs. Pack in the children's court, a week ago last Monday, Clyde made an attack on her husband's mother with a butcher knife, and as he is a big, strong boy, might have killed her, had it not been for interference. The lad was confined in the detention home from that time until Tuesday morning, when he was taken to the hospital.
Dr. E. G. Blair, assisted by Dr. John Punton, performed the operation. The portion of his skull, which was flattened, was sawed out and thrown away. The brain, which had been pressed down, rose to fill the cavity. The lad will remain in the hospital until nature grows a cartilage across the aperture.
When the boy awoke yesterday morning he seemed very happy. He was a sour-faced, frightened lad when he came to the place. His eyes wore that pathetic, timid, hunted expression of those who are not mentally normal. But when he awoke his eyes were bright. He smiled and said: "I feel awful good!"
THE BOY CONSENTED.
Judge H. L. McCune of the children's court said last evening in regard to the case:
"It was a question of the court's permitting the lad to become permanently insane, for his spells rising out of the sullenness into passionate outbreaks such as he made on his foster father's mother, were growing more and more frequent, or having him operated upon with a slight chance of death but a much larger chance of recovery and development into a bright and useful man. The doctors told me there was absolutely no chance for the boy to recover without the operation. The court received the consent of his foster parents and of the boy himself.
