Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-03-08
Stomach Washing.

of dyspepsia. Dr.. Cyrus Edison, DR..
Delafeld and a few other well known
doctors have tried it with such un-
deniably successful results as to con-
vince them that at last a remedy has
been discovered for this most exasper-
ating affection. The good nature OF
mankind will be correspondingly I'M
proved in consequence.
Laundering the stomach isa med
ical slang phrase not to be too literally
taken by dyspeptics Il does not m
volve the washing or ironing OF the
organs Of digestion in the sense that
the terms are used in most households
on Monday
The idea Of washing the stomach,
or to be more exact, the idea Of rnslne
it out with warm water, originated IN
Paris, like many other oil the goou
things in life. In Paris it was used
with most gratifying results IN the
treatment of celebrities who were
chronic sufferers from dyspepsia. Re
Gently Dr. Edison and other New York
practitioners got hold of it, and after
10 weeks experimentation they de-
clare without hesitation that within a
years time the physician who does
not take in laundry work will be far
behind the times.
The operation consists of nothing
more or less than thrusting a small
rubber tube down your esophagus IN
TO your stomach and pouringin through
the tube a quart Of warm water, which
is afterwards siphoned ont IN much
the same way as the farmer empt'es
the contents Of one cider barrel into
another
The average human stomach holds
quart. although bibulous persons
often do not recognize this limit.
Therefore quart of warm water con-
stitutes a dose" and four doses are
given to the patient at each treatment.
The water is allowed to remain IN
the stomach for a brief space, during
which a gentle, risning movement goes
on, nature lending the doctor a help
ing hand, as she invariably does when
she agrees with him
The apparatus required for the
treatment consists Of soft rubber
tube six feet in length, rubber fun
mel. a receiving basin, pitcher, a gal
lon of water and a snnsihle Doctor
It is no small trick to put rubber
tube down a human esophagus, nor,
for that matter, is it trick TO be at
tempted by a novice who, IN all hkeli-
hood. would get the tube into the
windpipe instead Of the asophagus.
The patient throws back his head SO
that his esophagus lsin as near an up
right line as possible The doctor
thrusts the tube in slowly, and 1t slides
down the mucus lined canal as easily
as if it were a spoonful Of Christmas
pudding and the subject a 5-year-old
boy.
The patient experiences a feeling
of fullness, which Is not strange IN
view of the fact that his stomach con
tains a quart of filtered Croton.
When the water has been pumped out
he is hungry After the treatment is
finished he is a trihe weak and IN the
words of one who has tried it, Your
stomach feels the way your foot does
when ii is asleep
DR.. Edison, who had his own stom-
ach washed out several times, admits
that the idea is rather uDcanny at first
thought, but consider, he argues, how
much more sensible it Is as means OF
purging and cleansing the stomach
than the use of vile medicines.
He has one patient Of whom he is
proud. She is the pioneer among the
subjects Of the new treatment. When
she began It's use she was run down
which means her blood was in bad
condition. Two months ago che
weighed 10 pounds. Now she weighs
l6O, and her good appetite promise.
further increase IN her ayoirduPois'
while after eating she has the blIssful
experience Of not realizing that she
| has a stomach at all.
This sounds Ike a patent medicine
advertisement. 1t Is not. There ia
no patent on warm water and rubber
tube. The comparison Of human
body to steam engine IS not new.
Well, in the human engine the stomach
Is the frebox and when the frebo1 i
out Of order there Is bound TO be troub-
le in all the other parts. Probably Il
every one masticated his food properly
and took sufficient exercise at all time~r
there would be no such word as dys-
-: =; ,ba dictionary OF medicine.