The Penn's Grove record., 1882-08-26

decayed molor, to which we charged
all our suffering, and 1t seemed as II
we were destined to shuttle of this
mortal coil by exhaustion from pain
and want Of sleep. We finally con-
cluded to incise the swollen Jaw,
thinking there was an abce.s about
the root of the decsyed tooth, and IS
the parts were so extremely sensitive,
and, moreover, having a vague dread
of chloroform, we thought we would
try local an@sthesia by evaporating
ether on the surface until the part was
frozen. Our attendant complied with
our instruction, and the spray was
turned on. The first sensation was
one of cutting pain, gradually subsid-
ing until when co~ngelation took place
we felt perfectly easy, and ordered the
cutting operation deferred. Then for
fifteen hours we slept the sleep Of the
righteous, and when we awoke found
the rubor, ct tumor, %colore, Gum do
lore entirely vanished, and we arose
and went about our business, and to
this gooINtay, although we carry a
perfect cbinet Of curious teeth in
mouth, have never had a neuralgia
twinge or touch Of that "hell o. a
disease" a toothache. Well, to be
honest about it, we did not at the time
give the freezing process any credit for
the cure, we thought the attack had
about spent Its force and was going to
act well anyway, and we paid but little
attention to the matter for a year or
more, when a relative, Captain Harris,
was visiting US, and took a spell OF
neuralgia, of which we bad for e q
yea been periodically afflicted with,
rarely passing q month without an
attack. To give him present ease,
we did not think of any permanent
benefit, we tried the spray all along
the track of the affected nerve until
it turned the skin white. The relief
was immediate, and, he has since In
formed me, permanent.
Since then we have used 1t In fifteen
or twenty cases with uniform success,
never having to make more than two
applications, and it came to be a stock
remedy, and we thought that in all
probability IL was so with most physi-
Clans, for we remember that when
Richardson first introduced it (ike all
new things in medicine, it was
Wanted for everything), and would
probably have still thought so If q
gentleman hadn't called on US some
time ago to know if we hadn't a new
treatment for neuralgia, and stated
q couple of years ago he was on q
steamboat and was suffering with that
disease, when Captain Harris informed
him that he was cured by SOME sort OF
a freezing process, and advise him to
try it. When the boat reached Louis
vile, he called on two or three dentists
and three of the most distinguished
of the city, and they told
him they knew of no such remedy for
neuralgia, and advised him not to
have anything of the kind done. On
hearing this story we looked yer our
cid volumes of medical journals and
found not a single allusion to local
ana sthesia as a remedy for neuralgia.
Now we must confess that all this
very much like the story of the
superannuated clergyman who acct
dentally, while in the West Indies,
discovered a cure for consumption,
etc.. only we don't want any n to
send a stamp for particulars. Any
can purchase q hand ball
atomizer for 81 so, and try it for them
selves. They may use either rhigolene
or ether, and it will only be necessary
10 let the spray play upon the part
until the skin turns white. We
promised to offer no theory for its
action, but we will venture this opin-
ion That the intense cold, by its re-
revulsive effect, causes a complete
change in the nutrition of the nerve;
what this change is we will not at
present venture to assert, only hoping
that others who have better opportuni
ties will give the matter a trial and
fully test its merits.