Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1882-09-28
TREATMENT OF GANGRENE.
Important Discovery by New Fork
Physician.
New York Tines


Among the diseases which, like consump.
ton, cancer, hydrophoba and other fata
maladies for which the pharmacopea fur
nishes no specific remedy, "Cuncrumoris, OF
gangrenous ulcer, has been classed by the
medical profession. DR.. Constantine J. Mac
guire of this CITY, read an exhaustive paper
On the subject before special meeting OF
the Yorkville Medical society, convened al
the Oriental Hotel, Coney Island, in which
he claims to have discovered an effectua]
remedy for this deadly malady. From the
description given of the disease by the best
medical authors, as we'll as from the graphic
details furnished Of its appearance at the
various stages in several cases recently treat
ed by DR.. MacGuire. it seems to be malady
even more loathsome than that of leprosy.
About the latter part of Jrnuary last, he
said, nineteen children were admitted to the
Refuge in charge of the Sisters of st. Domi-
nick at Sixty third street and Second avenue,
of which he is the medical officer. The
children were in weak and debilitated con-
dition, occasioned by bad and insufficient
food furnished them, and the polluted at
mosphere in which they were confined in
the lower party Of the city, from which they
were removed when the establishment was
condemned by the Board of Health.
A few days after their admission into the
Refuge four of them were attacked with this
fatal malady. Dr. MacGuire entered into
detailed description Of the symptoms of the
disease, and the appearance presented during
the various stages from its inception until
death ensued in each case. He applied the
remedies prescribed by the best medical au-
thorities, but they proved Intellectual to
check the progress Of the fatal malady. After
some weeks number of new cases occurred,
each having the same well-marked symp-
toms of gangrenous ulcer. Seeing the hope
lessness of following the line OF treatment
adopted before, he determined to try the eff
fects of sub-nitrate of bismuth applied ex-
ternally to the affected parts The result
was an immediate improvement in the ap-
pearance of the ulcers, and eventually a
complete cure. From the first appearance of
the disease in the institution up to the pre-
sent time tWenty-tour cases were treated, in
Guiding the four that proved fatal; and out
of the twenty cases treated with sub-nitrate
of bismuth only one resulted fatally. He
cited the opinions of Drs. Elliotson, Rilliet,
Barthaz, Nelmeyer, West and others to show
that the disease was considered incurable.
DIR. West lost eight patients out of ten, while
Darthuz and Rilliet, of Paris only saved one
ont of tWenty-one cases. The discovery
made by Dr. MacGuire respecting the cura-
tive properties of bismuth in this malady
was regarded by the members present as one
of the most valuable recently made in medi-
cal science.
DR.. W. V. White, Vice-President of the
Association, in discussing the merits of the
paper, advanced the opinion that the sub
nitrate of bismuth acted as germicide in
the disease under consideration, and he be-
lieved that a new field of investigation had
been opened as to its curative properties in
other kindred diseases. He felt that the
medical profession in this country should
bestow more attention upon the germ theory
of disease, which was now being so thor
oughly investigated by the leading scientists
in Europe.