Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-08-23
NO Ca. FOR CONSUMPTION.
rhe Borgeon Method of Treatment De-
Oh -aI

rhe Borgeon Method of Treatment De-
ciared a Failure.
The Bergeon method Of treating consump-
ion through the use of gaseous enemata has
attracted a great deal Of attention among
physicians in private practice in this city and
from those connected with its many hospitals,
lays New York paper Charity and other
hospital patients suffering from tuberculosis,
Or phthisis, have been especially experimental
Upon. Hospital physicians naturally took up
he method tentatively. An occasional case
IS reported where physician became an on
.husiast on the subject DR.. Hogan, the
house surgeon of the Charity Hospital, is
said to have been one who followed expert
ments on the Bergeon system with ardor for
a time, while his assistant, who had the di-
rect personal charge of the patients, was
skeptical throughout, and it is said, now de-
slares the method valueless.
The use of gaseous enemata for the cure OF
consumption was taken up at Bellevue, Char
ty, the Workhouse, and the New York hos
pitfalls, and at all of those institutions it now
seems to have been abandoned for the simple
reason that experiments have shown that
there lis nothing in the method" Sulphur
eted hydrogen, the gaseous agent employed,
has been shown to be not a germicide, and
this fact is one reason assigned for the aban-
lonment Of this plan of destruction of tuber
cuosis. There is profound and elaborate
mystery surrounding the results of the adj
ninistration of gaseous enemata at the New
York Hospital Two of the younger physi-
clans there employed under the house sur
geon Dr. Richards, have made the interest
ing statements given below, commendatory
Of the method. DIR. Richards himself was on
his vacation at the time. He has now re-
turned Yesterday, in response to inquiries
as 10 the results of the enemata
as preventing or curing consumption,
DR.. Richards replied: II prefer to
say nothing of the matter. l am
preparing an article for the Medical Review
and shall there state my conclusions. The
experiments are now only in their tentative
stage" DIR. Richards retired into the region
of psychometric mystery, and had nothing to
say to the fact that his assistants, ignorant
of his desires, had unwittingly proclaimed
the Bergeon method complete failure, and
they mad personal charge of the cases, at
least more than half of them.
"This blowing-up process" said one Of the
doctors, "was complete failure. | tried il
on four patients. The effect of the use of
the gas was rather startling. The patients
abdomen would be swelled up as tight as a
drum and pains very much like collie resulted.
The sulphureted hydrogen undoubtedly
passed almost Immediately into the lungs
but it had no effect in staying the disease.
The method is pretty tough on the patient.
When gave the enemata before meals the
patients appetite would be destroyed, and II
gave them after meals vomiting would fol
low"
The acting Superintendent at Bellevue Hos
pital stated that the Bergeon system was not
in use there. The effects OF the gaseous
enemata have in many cases been good and
encouraging for period of some seven days
then patients have relapsed. The improve
ment for the short time mentioned is as
signed to mental causes; the patients, having
faith that they were to be benefited by the
treatment and throwing all their souls into
the belief, exercise upon themselves the infiu
ence which is said to be brought to bear in
instances of marked "faith cures"
DR.. A. N. Collins, a physician Of acute per.
ceptions who had eleven cases of consump
ton under his charge at the time the Bergeon
method had its run, and who tried it on these
patients at the Workhouse Hospital on
Blackwells Island, states that he has lost al
faith in this Wanted cure. "The theory In
other day at Bellevue Hospital, lis that
phthisis depends on the presence of bacill
and that sulphureted hydrogen is germi
eide or antiseptic. The gas is introduced as
an enema and is rapidly absorbed into thu
circulation, going quickly to the right heart
and thence to the lungs. The great difficulty
in treating tuberculosis has been to bring
any gaseous or other substance into contac
with the lung tissue which is so sensitiv,
chat direct contact with it is impossible. s.
far as surmounting this difficulty is CON
cerned. thre is no doubt whatever that thI
use of gaseous enemata has been a sue
cessful experiment, for you can smell sui
| phureted hydrogen in the patients breath
within very short time after its introduo
| ton into the alimentary canal, this fac
showing that it is quickly introduced into th'
circulation and thence conveyed through tn,
heart to the lungs.
II had eleven consunptives under my carr
at the Workhouse Hospital, and in each case
| there was an Improvement for about q week
! This was probably moral effect. The pa
/ tent was aware that new method, promis
| ing great results for good, as alleged, was be
| ing tried, so that the mental effect helped hin
| for a time Then came relapse into tn
| former condition. In no case was there per
manent benefit derived. The week
| temporary improvement was effected il
| the same way with ration
who did not have tuberculosis. Gaseou
enenata bave been used with good effect,
am told, in cases OF sporadic asthma. Blu
| the general idea now prevalent among physi
clans is that this method of treatment is
| failure. 1t has been dropped at Bellevue, a
| the Charity hospital, and on the islaeds 70
| this reason.