1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: The Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Hello and welcome to this Day in History Class, 3 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:16,319 Speaker 1: a show that proves there's more than one way to 4 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: make history. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're looking at 5 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: a radical solution to a longstanding surgical problem, as well 6 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: as the unexpected controversy had caused among the makers of zippers. 7 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: The day was July eleven. Doctor Harry Harland Stone announced 8 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: the successful use of zippers to open and close surgical incisions. 9 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: Although the technique was already in limited use by surgeons 10 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: in England, Germany, and Belgium, Stone was the first in 11 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: the United States to install a zipper on a patient. 12 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:07,119 Speaker 1: He explained that the seven inch polyester zippers were especially 13 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: useful in cases where it was likely he would need 14 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: to re operate on a patient. Instead of reopening and 15 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: then re stitching the same wound again and again, he 16 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,839 Speaker 1: could simply zip and unzipped the patient as needed. Then, 17 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: after a period of five days to two weeks, the 18 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: adhesive patch with the zipper in the middle could simply 19 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: be removed and discarded. Doctor Stone developed his breakthrough technique 20 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,959 Speaker 1: while working as the chief of General Surgery at the 21 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 1: University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore. He had been looking 22 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,880 Speaker 1: for a way to improve the survival rate of critically 23 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: ill patients who had undergone surgery for pancreatitis or pancreatic swelling. 24 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: Operating on the pancreas has always been a challenge for surgeons, 25 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: and one of the most dreaded complications that can arise 26 00:01:55,840 --> 00:02:01,919 Speaker 1: from such procedures is postoperative bleeding. This occurs it's necessary 27 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: to periodically remove and replace the internal bandages and gauze 28 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: that were applied during surgery. To do this, surgeons normally 29 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: have to remove the stitches from an abdominal incision, change 30 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: the internal bandages, and then re stitched the wound. This procedure, 31 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 1: which requires the use of anesthesia, can take up to 32 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:26,799 Speaker 1: an hour each time. For patients and critical condition that 33 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,679 Speaker 1: repeated strain can be too much to bear. For example, 34 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: even though bleeding after pancreatic surgery occurs and only about 35 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: five to sixteen percent of cases, the morbidity for those 36 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: who experience it was as high as ninety percent in 37 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: the mid nineteen eighties. However, according to doctor Stone, swapping 38 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: stitches for zippers made all the difference. Suddenly, he could 39 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: change an internal bandage in just five minutes while standing 40 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 1: at a patient's bedside and without the need for anesthesia. 41 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: On July eleventh, Stone revealed that he had already used 42 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: the zippers on twenty eight pancreatic surgery patients and that 43 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: their recovery rate had risen to ninety percent. He told 44 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,239 Speaker 1: the press, quote, all of us have talked about zippers, 45 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 1: but it was passed off as a joke. Now that 46 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 1: comical pipe dream has become a beneficial reality. Stone's technique 47 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: may have been unorthodox, but he did play it safe 48 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:31,080 Speaker 1: in at least one respect. Even though he could have 49 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: used any color zipper he wanted, Stone said quote, I 50 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: felt we ought to have proper hospital White pastels are 51 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: not really appropriate. The zippers themselves weren't anything special. They 52 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: were regular polyester zippers made by the y k K Group, 53 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: the world's largest zipper manufacturer. The white seven inch model 54 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: favored by doctor Stone was the same kind commonly used 55 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: in women's skirts. At first, the multinational zipper company was 56 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: pleased with the surgeon's clever new use for their product, 57 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: but when some medical professionals began to balk at the 58 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: largely untested technique. The people at y k k's US 59 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: division started to get a little nervous. They worried what 60 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: might happen if they're zippers led to some kind of 61 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 1: medical complication. Not only would it lead to bad publicity, 62 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: the company might even be held legally responsible. To get 63 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 1: ahead of that potential problem, the company's vice president of 64 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: Global Marketing sent a letter to one of the world's 65 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:39,239 Speaker 1: leading medical journals, the New England Journal of Medicine, printed 66 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:43,799 Speaker 1: in the November issue, under the headline if you Snip, 67 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: Don't Zip, The letter read as follows, to the editor, 68 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 1: we are a manufacturer of zippers. It has recently come 69 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: to our attention that at least one physician is using 70 00:04:55,880 --> 00:05:00,120 Speaker 1: our zippers to close surgical incisions. Our products are not 71 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 1: designed or manufactured for medical purposes and were never intended 72 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 1: for such use. In addition, our product is not sterile 73 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: or packaged or manufactured in a medically sterile environment. During 74 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: the manufacturing process, our zippers are in contact with or 75 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:23,279 Speaker 1: made with oils, lubricants, detergents, dye stuff, and other common chemicals. Therefore, 76 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:26,480 Speaker 1: illness or injury may result if this product is used 77 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: for surgical purposes. We urged journal readers not to use 78 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,719 Speaker 1: zippers for medical purposes. We cannot be responsible for any 79 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: injury caused by such use. While y k K is concerned, 80 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 1: seems valid and understandable, Doctor Stone didn't appreciate the implication 81 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: that he may have installed tainted zippers and his patients 82 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: all the zippers he used had, of course, been sterilized. 83 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 1: Stone clapped back at the company with a letter of 84 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: his own, which was also published in the New England 85 00:05:57,279 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: Journal of Medicine. Brief to the point loaded with sass. 86 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:05,840 Speaker 1: Stone's letter said, quote to the editor, the use of 87 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 1: the zipper has greatly facilitated re exploration of the abdomen 88 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 1: when it is required on an almost daily basis. We 89 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: have tried many different zippers over the past few years. 90 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:20,680 Speaker 1: Our initial studies used the y k K, but at 91 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: present we prefer the talent since it is less likely 92 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:30,600 Speaker 1: to disengage spontaneously and lead to evisceration. H. Harlan Stone, 93 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 1: m d. This bizarre feud only brought more attention to 94 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,600 Speaker 1: the story as more and more reporters began reaching out 95 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: to y k K for comments on the medical use 96 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: of zippers. This led to one exasperated official, telling the 97 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 1: United Press International quote, We're just trying to make zippers 98 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: to keep pants up and skirts on. In the years 99 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 1: that followed, doctor Stone was hit with two medical malpractice lawsuits, 100 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,919 Speaker 1: but much to the relief of zipper manufacturers, neither case 101 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,919 Speaker 1: involved patients who had been fitted with zippers. Instead, the 102 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: cases revolved around doctor Stone and other surgeons at University 103 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: Hospital claiming that a patient had died of natural causes, 104 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 1: when in reality surgical mistakes were to blame. Those two cases, 105 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:22,679 Speaker 1: along with two other malpractice complaints filed in the same 106 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: nine week period, led the hospital to call for Stone's resignation. 107 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:31,640 Speaker 1: He begrudgingly complied, and in the wrongful death cases were 108 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: settled out of court for an undisclosed but very substantial 109 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 1: sum of money. Dr H. Harlan Stone later took on 110 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: surgical training positions at the University of Arizona and the 111 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 1: University of South Carolina. Though his career as a professional 112 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: surgeon was effectively over, he continued to write medical books 113 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 1: and give lectures until his death on April seventh, two 114 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: at the age of ninety two. As for y K 115 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,360 Speaker 1: a K, they actually branched into medical products in the 116 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 1: late ninety nineties, and today they manufacture a variety of 117 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: products and machinery for use in hospitals, including everything from 118 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: blood pressure cuffs and tourniquets to hospital curtains and ppe. 119 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: The company's zippers still aren't intended for surgical use, but 120 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:25,840 Speaker 1: other manufacturers have introduced their own surgical zippers specifically designed 121 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: to secure surgical incisions for repeated access. Not only are 122 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: these zippers less invasive than traditional staples and sutures, they 123 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 1: also lead to fewer infections and less irritation and scarring. 124 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: Unlike the over the counter zippers used by Stone, modern 125 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: surgical zippers are made from medical grade polyethyly, so don't 126 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:51,280 Speaker 1: expect to find them on a women's skirt anytime soon. 127 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: I'm Gave Luzier and hopefully you now know a little 128 00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. You can 129 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: learn even more about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, 130 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d i HC Show, and if 131 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 1: you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to send 132 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,320 Speaker 1: him my way at this day at I heeart media 133 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, 134 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:21,560 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 135 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another day in history class.