The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-11-18
AMiCk S THEORY.
How II Conflicts with Some Received
Opinions

| over year ago. To examine into tn
causes of tuberculosis and the method
., which lad been advanced for it's cure
the idea was To 81 thoroughly sift an,
test alleged cures" that their merit
should finally be- settled to the salts
faction of the public.
DR.. W. X. Amick had Just announce
that consumption could be cured 10y
the use of u new method. which h,
proposed To introduce. Other doctors
in considerable numbers. derided tn,
| idea that anything more efficient thar
old school treatment with cod liver oil
creosote and the various hypophos
phites could be devised. and some OF
them entered the newspapers and med
| zeal journals To say 50 in brusqut
English. Others. again. who were not
so confident thai the acme of medical
science had been reached. were dis.
posed To await IA test of Amick' method
before giving their opinions.
II was 1T this stage of the proceed
| ings that the Post conceived the idea
of selecting test eases of consumption.
| and also one or two of asthma for
| Amick to treat. the doctor having de-
ella -ed that his formula was equally
! effective in asthmatic troubles. The
| plan for the test. as laid down by the
| Post and accepted finally by Amick
was to select from persons who We're
| affected with tuberculosis three whose
eases had passed beyond the initial
stage and would therefore he past the
assistance of such treatment H. could
hc given by the standard methods of
the day.
1t was agreed that if !tmick sue
cecded in curing the test patients he
should be given full and free credit for
the same and that if he failed the
treatment should receive meritcd con-
dcmnation. Full reports Of the pro-
gresS of the tests were To be published
frequently until the end of the under
taking and the patients either dic6 or
got well.
Acting on this plan the Post advcr-
ti>cd for patients and secured several.
including one of chronic asthma of
thirty-Scvcn years standing and others
of consumption which had progressed
into the third stage. The treatment
Of all the eases was perSi>tcntly ear
ricd on for over six months. The pro-
grrss of the test was duly chronicled
and became familiar tn all the people
of the ohio valley and contiguous
states. Marked interest was excited
and the outcome was as anNiouSlv
awaited by the public as by the nm
fortunate patients themselves.
After the lapse of the time mentioned
the Post stated that all of the test
patients were alive and well.
Vt the present time one of these
test patients is living, at North Bend.
Ohio. while another resides on West
l., q
tinually pri,i>ing the \mick cure a> a
final relief from long continued trouble.
and the third. who gained thilt y-two
pounds in six weeks. has become a
giant in strength and lives now on
Main street.
Just before the test of the .\mick
cure took place. ;,s narrated. DR.. Koch.
the celebrated German physician and
scientist. had announced II cure for
tuberculosis. which. when thoroughly
tested. proved to be inefficient and the
collapse of the general expectation
which had followed koch'> announce
ment. made it difficult for Amick's
treatment To find favor
Nevertheless Il considerable number
of physicians. noting the apparently
favorable progress of Tn tests. and
convinced by the sincerity of DR..
Amick. by the fact that he declared
himself willing To send out free to all
regular practitioners sample outfits Of
his medicines. with directions of treat
mcnt of test eases. concluded To cNpSr-
incnt fer themselves. and 10 this end
sent for medicines and directions.
While their test cases were progress
ing in various parts of the country.
other physicians. who thought tn get
rid of patients whom they could no
longer treat with any show of success.
sent the same to imick. determined To
shift all responsibility upon him. and
perchance cause II failure of u system
Of treatment which would make an
unfavorablc comparison with their
own.
some of them declared that Nmicll's
refusal to make public his formula of
medicines was great wrong and of
itself suggested Il inoncy-inaliing spirit
rather than Il broad and humanitarian
character.
imick replied To- these critics that
his reason for keeping the formula
secret was t. prevent the tinkering Of
inc tiicicnt doctors. who. by adding to or
subtracting from the medicines. would
achieve varied results. in the main dis
astrous, and the whole system would
in time. be thrown into disrcpute. II
was new theory of practice. which
was confronted by the opposition Of
old time ideas and prejudiccs. and
every safeguard was needed that could
be devised to keep the medicines and
methods of applying them free from
innovations. until such time as the
treatment should become universally
approved and accepted. when the for
mulas might. without further restraint.
be- freely given to the world
DR.. Amiclt, in the early days Of his
experiments. was bcset with doubts
and fears as to the final outcome IF the
desperate cases of consumption sent to
him by other physicians for treatment.
lie scarcely knew himself the virtues
of the treatment he had originatcd.and
trcmlled lest many deaths should oc-
cur ON his hands and dscredit the
treatment.
lint n large percentage of the third