THE OPERATION FAD

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2585, 20 August 1909, Page 7

THE OPERATION FAD

[To the Editor.]

Sir,- —I have waited for a long time for some more able pen than mine to deal with the present-day craze for surgical operations, especially in _ the treatment of the so-called appendicitis. During the past two weeks ‘there have been two victim© to the surgeon’s knife, a fact greatly to be regretted, as, in the opinion of many, had proper and rational and proper treatment been applied in those cases the victims might have been among the living to-day. Surgery undoubtedly has its uses as a science, but before the delicate organs of the human machine, especially those organs adjacent to the nervous system, are severed, the surgeon should stay his hand and think if there may not be other means of restoring health. In the report of one of the recent fatal operation cases your readers were told “that all that surgical skill could accomplish was done,” —and the accompSisliment vnis death. Is there then any other method of treatment except the use of the knife for appendicitis ? In the old days we were told that appendicitis was - inflammation of the bowels, and other ordinary complaints, but of late years surgeons have dealt with, new names, ami advanced new theories as to the cause of the disease. One theory was-that inflammation was set up by some gritty substance entering'the appendix, next that th? disease might be caused by apple seeds, orange pips, grape skins, hard lumps of cheese and other indigestible morsels, while one of the recent stupidities is that a hair from a tooth brush is the frequent cause. JCsow the mouth of the appendix is very small, and it secretes an oil by which it lubricates the parts in its immediate vicinity. To perform its allotted task it must, of necessity, eject its contents as w'ell as any foreign body entering, upward and outward. But even supposing some foreign substance should gain entrance in the. appendix there is surely some way of removing it without the use of the amputating knife, for the knife does not always cure, as the symptoms have been known to return, even after a surgical operation. If a patient has an abscess on the arm surgeons do hot amputate the arm, but reduce the inflammation in the abscess. If the patient suffers from indigestion the stomach is not removed, but food suitable to the condition of the digestive organs are prescribed. Then why remove the appendix for ever if the organ once becomes inflamed? Rather remove the inflammation. and the contributory causes of the inflammation. In cases of so-called appendicitis constipation is nearly always present, the result being that the rectal passages become blocked, foul gases are generated, the bowels and appendix become heated and inflammation is set up. That is the cause of appendicitis, and it therefore follows that if you remove the cause you remove the disease. The rational treatment of appendicitis is the thorough cleansing of the lower bowel by the colon flushing treatment. This usually brings relief. -It is often a good plan in this process to use a moderate quantity of water and then, after resting a few moments, to use an additional amount with 4 v^ew thoroughly cleansing the colon. If relief should not be experienced from this treatment it is then a good plan to secure a rectal tube and insert it in the colon as near as you can to the appendix, after which inject through this tube a pint or more of olive oil. In nearly all cases after-this oil is retained for a short time, the affected parts are softened. and relief is very quickly experienced. Applications of various kinds, either hot or cold,. according to the condition of the patient, can also be used for this (trouble to very great advantage. With the cause taken away nature will soon remedy matters and the patient recover. Now constipation and its relative, appendicitis, are due chiefly to improper and insufficiently masticated foods, and foods that do not contain sufficient waste material to ensure normal activity of the bowls. Too much' white bread, pastries, conglomerates such as plum and other boiled puddings and cakes, etc., help to cause constipation and give rise to appendicitis. 'Too little fresh fruit, dates, fig#, brown bread, rice, and fresh vegetables find their place on the everyday table, and consequently \'the medical profession and the pill merchant have a busy time—a fact which would not be were it not that the public are prone to resort to the patohing-up process instead of removing the cause of these and many other complaints by simple and commonsense methods. Now, sir, I have no antipathy to the surgeon or the physician but I cannot always agree with the methods adopted by them in the treatment of disease. —I am, etc. ‘[ANTI-MEDICAL.”