In 1889 Alexander of Edinburgh resected the superior ganglion on both
sides. In 1892 Jacksh resected the vertebral plexus and cut the cord
connecting the middle and inferior ganglion. The third operator was
Kummel, who excised the superior ganglion on one side only. In 1893
Bojdanik made a bilateral resection of the middle ganglion. In 1896
Jaboulay made a bilateral section of the sympathetic cord, above and
below the middle ganglion. These operations were all made for epilepsy.
In regard to exophthalmic goiter, Jaboulay made a simple section of the
sympathetic early in 1896. In September of the same year Jonnesco
excised the superior and middle ganglia.
Jonnesco was the first, in 1896, to do a bilateral resection of all
three cervical ganglia, though it is claimed by a Polish surgeon,
Baracz, that he proposed the same in 1893. To Professor Jonnesco
furthermore belongs the credit of having first excised the superior
ganglion for glaucoma in September, 1897.
Ball of St. Louis was the first to remove the superior cervical ganglion
for optic-nerve atrophy. The date of this operation was June 24, 1899.
Terrier, Guillemain, and Malherbe, in their “Chirurgie du Cou,” 1898,
were among the first to give the surgery of the sympathetic a place in a
text-book.
Among those who have operated on the cervical sympathetic for the relief
either of glaucoma or exophthalmic goiter, or both, are Abadie, Réclus,
Gerard-Marchant, Chauffand and Quénu, Jeunet, Bled, Ball, Renaud, and
Bartlett.
Panas is opposed to sympathectomy in glaucoma. He reports seeing a
patient in whom, three months after the operation, vision was still
declining.
François-Frank, at a meeting of the Paris Academy of Medicine, held May
22, 1899, spoke of the effect of sympathectomy on the circulation of the
thyroid gland, brain, and eyes, and on the heart. He believes that the
operation can easily produce good results.
Doyon has described the trophic changes produced in the rabbit by
excision of the cervical sympathetic.