Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-09-14
DR. MAcGUIRE's DISCOVERY.
A Valuable Paper Read BY Him
at the Oriental Hotel,
COney Island.
New York Times.

Among the diseases which, like con-
sumption, cancer, hydrophobia and
other fatal maladies for which the
pharmacop@ia furnish no specific
remedy, "Cancrumoris,' OF gangre-
nous ulcer, has been classed by the
medical profession. DR.. Constantine
j. MacGuire, of this city, yesterday
read an exhaustive paper on the sub
jeet before a special meeting Of the
forkyille Medical Society, convened
at the Oriental Hotel, Coney Island,
in which he claims 20 have discovered
an etfectual 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 treated by DR.. MacGuire, it
seems to be a malady even more loath-
some than that OF leprOsy. About the
latter part OF January last, he said,
nineteen children were admitted TO the
Refuge iE charge of the Sisters of st.
Dommick 1T Sixty-third street and
Second avenue, Of which he is the
medical officer. The children were in
a weak and debilitated condition oc.
casioned by the bad and insufficient
food furnished them, the polluted at
mosphere in which they were confined
10 an institution in the lower part of
the city, from which they were re-
moved 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 a detailed
description OF the symptoms of the
disease and the appearance presented
during the various stages from it's
inception until death ensued in each
case. He applied the remedies pre-
scribed blythe best medical authorities
but they proved Intellectual to check
the progress OF the fatal malady. After
some weeks a number of new cases
occurred, each having the same
marked symptoms of gangrenous
ulcer Seeing the hopelessness of
following the line OF treatment adopted
before, he determined to try the effects
of sub nitrate of hismuth applied
externally to the affected parts. The
result was an immediate improvement
in the appearance of the ulcers, and
eventually a complete cure. From
the first appearance of the disease in
the institution up to the present time
twenty four cases were treated, in
Guiding the four that proved fatal;
and out OF the twenty casea treated
with srh-Ditrate of bismuth only one
resulted fatally. He cited the opinions
Of Drs, ElliotsoH. Rilliet, Rsrthaz,
Neimeyer, West and others to show
that the disease was considered in.
durable. DR.. West lost eight patients
out of ten, while Barthaz and Rilliet,
Of Paris, only saved one out of twenty.
one cases: The discovery made by
DR.. Maeqqire respecting the curative
properties Of bismuth in this malady
was regarded by the members present
as one OF the most valuable recently
made in medical science.
DR.. W. V. White, Vice President
of the association, in discussing the
merits Of the paper, advanced tie
opinion that the sub nitrate ofbismuth
acted as a Sgermicide in the disease
under consideration, and he believed
that a new field of investigation had
been opened as to its curative proper.
ties in other kindred diseases. lie
felt that the medical profession In this
country should bestow more attention
to the germ theory of disease, which
was now being SO thoroughly investi-
gated by the leading scientists in