Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-03-16

common knowledge, says a writer L
the Paris edition of the New Yorl
Herald, and every physician has bee
called to see the result Of exposure t
light on the skin OF the face of on
OF his lady patients tanned by tn
sea breeZes or freckled by the burn
Ing sun. This fact of course is known
to every one, and no great amount 0
learning is necessary to advise sucl
patients to protect their faces agains
the intense action Of the sun.
If now in normal condition the dam
age done by too much light Is mat
ter of common observation, it is easy
to understand that in disease Of the
skin this perniclouS influence is grea tel
stun, and that attempts have been
made to overcome it by logical anG
contrary means, which Is to keep in
the dark the portions of the body thai
needs protection. 1t is, OF course, alsc
count OF their calling, live in more Oh
less profound darkness, have pallid
compilations, i'll strong contrast to the
brown faces Of persons living in the
open air, exposed ut the same time to
the more or less ardent rays of the
sun, us the notion Of heat cannot be
neglected in the question.
In view OF these facts it is not Il
matter for establishment that u very
ancient process, to which | called the
ut fan ., ,f
ago and which NJ E1nsen, Of Copen-
hagen, recommends most particularly,
should have been brought to light
again, consisting III protecting small
poX patients against light, or, more ex-
actIy, against all chemical rays other
than the red.
Smallpox, we all know, leaves in
dellble marks after it very often, and
every physician who has had anything
10 do with this disease has racked his
Drains Tor some means TO do away
with the ugly marks ii leaves, which
In some cases are almost u deformity i.
The question, therefore, is always
one that Is open, and | thought
that this method OF treatment de
served to be widely known and tested
In order that we should be able to
form an exact opinion as to its true
value.
Several Paris hospital physicians
thought us l did Oh the question, and
VI. Elnsen's method has been tested al
AuberyilllerS with the most s1rupulous
attention. Quite Il variety of treat
mentS were used III the two thousand
eases that We're taken care of during
1893, and among them NJ FinSen's,
but 1t WaS found that the patients
lett The dark rooms with the same
marks rs when treated by the other
methods
Ihe conditions required by NJ Fin
srn were realized by Placing The pa
uentS i'll very small rooms, to which
The light had aeceSS only by passing
through red window panes and cur
t;lins.
The results, therefore, obtained at
AuDerrllllerS DO not SuDstantiate the
optimistic opinion OF NJ. Einsen, as the
patients treated i'll the rooms lighted
Ill the ordinary way and i'll those with
The red light were found TO 30
through the evolution of the disease in
IN exactly similar way, some very
easily and others more seriously ac-
cordinS to the nature Of the case.
1t Is, therefore, unfortunately true
that the treatment of small
poA has not yet been found, and even
1t, nevertheless, remains Il diS1igulinS
and dangerous disease. This is there
fore hot Il means to be counted OH anu
the disappointment would be great for
any patient OF physician who placed
his hopes on it.
This explains the reserve with which
speak or all innovations i'll medicine.
think it my duty to call the attention
OF my readers to them, but refrain
from recommending them until they
have stood the conclusive test of eN-
perience and time.
tuberculosis, the deadliest OF dis
eases, continues to make its ravaSeS,
i'll spite Of all efforts made TO protect
the human race from 1t; yet the agent
OF contamination is perfectly we'll
known. We appear 10 be powerleSS
to withstand the onset of this terrible
bacillus, and it is not always easy to
say whence 1t comes and through
what channel it has attacked US
Since tuberculosis is an almost mex
or:lble and lncurable disease, it is
sef-evldent that the question of
plUphylaNis is more important than
any other, and that the fundamental
point in the question is to avoid the
disease.
1t has seemed TO a German physi-
clan, NJ. Vollant, that the aetiology
of tetanus throws some light on this
question. S-nce tetanus is supposed
10 spring from the soil and since the
vehicle of the disease is the dirt in
the streets and gardens contaminated
by special germ, he sees no reason
why tuberculosis as well should not
have in a large measure similar
origin in the soil. =
Aninals often contract tuberculosis
~ tnnaE Use they arex;n oon-
---itses soe- IL Son-
Suns equally evil
r4llinen playing on the
and making mud pies may con-
ract it in the same way, absorbing di-
rectly the bacilh which produce as a
frSt tuberculous manifestation gland