The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-31

reason why any disease can possibly
be fatal is that there are not enough
white corpuscles to kill and carry
away its germs. We have not as yet
discovered any way of developing
them at will. but 1 think this knowl-
edge will come. When it does, another
vast advance will have been made.
If as soon as the germs Of a disease
begin to attack the red corpuscles, we
can summon enough of the white cor
puscles to divert the attack and over
| come it we shall have conquered the
disease.
A stimuIant That One May Enjoy
Without the Least Harm.
Zone immensely important bit of
knowledge has recently been derived
from the plant world. The Kola nut
has long been used by the natives of
the countries in which 1t grows as a
mild stimulant. They have eaten it
much as certain Asiatics eat the betel
nut. Scientific investigation has
proved lately that the Kola is one of
the most important remedial agencies
in the reach OF medicine. Its extract
stimulates in a way that no other
drug can, and st is free from the
dangerous properties of other stimuli
ants. 1t does not enslave one who
uses it as choral or cocaine or NOR
creates no craving. Its effect is no
less than marvellous. Recently during
certain experiments, an old man, weak,
powerless ana sick, who was at first
wholly unable to raise from the ground
a weight of $50 pounds, not only raised
IL with ease, but carried il without dis
comfort for a mile and a half after the
lxoia extract had beez administered to
him" As I have inHmated, Dr. Shrady
gives more attention 10 surgery proper
than he does 10 medicine proper. He
believes that in it the greatest future
possibilities lie.
Wonderful Advances in Surgery of
the Brain.
THE developments which may be |
expected from the surgery of the brain |
alone" he said, will be so great as !
practically TO work revolution in the !
science of cure. 1 expect, for instance, |
that within ten years large proper |
ton of the cases of paralysis now con- |
sidered incuIable will be brought dis |
tinctly within the realm of durable dis
eases. 1t has already been discovered |
that each muscle of the body is con-
trolled by certain nerve centres in the
brain. The location Of many of these
nerve centres has been definitely de-
termined. 1t is known, for instance.
that pressure on a certain part of the
brain will develop paralysis of the
right leg, that pressure on certain
other part of the brain will develop
paralysis Of the left leg, and so on
throughout the body. Many cases of
paralysis are known to be due to such
pressure, and this pressure is oftenest
caused by the presence of clotS of
blood. Thus by brain surgery-by the
removal of these blood clots-that par
ticular kind of paralysis may be cured.
a Cure For Cancer.
almost as much progress has been
made in the surgery of the intestines.
Organic disorders Of the kidneys and
liver are being cured now with increas-
ing frequency by the use of the knife,
and we know that we are only at the
threshold of this work. I am convinced
that cancer will be overcome by sur
gerry as soon as people learn the he
cessity of treating it in the early
stages of it's development. Another i'm
portant advance in the study of call
GERS and like growths is that which
has taught us that the sterilized poi
son of erysipelas will do wonderful
things toward checking the progress
Of the disease. A case recently came
to my attention in New York hos
oital. The patient suffered from q
-umor of the hip which could not have
been removed by the knife without
practically cutting him in two. Ster-
liked erysipelas poison was injected
nto the affected part of his body, and
MS life was saved in spite of what
were apparently overwhelming odds.
1.-THE possibilities of the surgeons
knife are almost beyond belief, IN fact.
We can now operate upon almost ev-
cry part of a mans body except his
heart and lungs, and 1 am not at ali
certain that operations on the lungs
Will always be impossible. In fact,
I'M inclined to think that the knife
will eventually play an important part '
n the treatment of consumption.
Il do not mean to intimate. how
yer, that the only advance may be
lerful things have developed in the
field-the microscope is !
idding every day to the sum Of our ,
.
But greatest OF all, perhaps. IN its
uture usefulness is our increasing
of the laws of heredity It >
5 coming TO be true that the perpetual a
ion of certain diseases, such as insan- .
ty and consumption by the intermar-
iage of families affected by them, is
rowned upon. When unhealthful mar
ges cease, then i'll health will large
Y be done away with. Organic dis
ase, did we not perpetuate it by dis
egard of the laws of heredity, would
ventually die out of itself. and I be- :,
eve that these unhealthful marriages
re becoming less frequent"
EDWARD MARSHALL.