The record-union., 1897-02-26
ANOTHER DOCTORS VIEWS.

ANOTHER DOCTORS VIEWS.
| Fads are at all times vicious; they
may become dangerous or even posi-
| lively harmful. And this is especially
| true of the tendency exhibited by the
medical profession to resort to purely
surgical methods in the treatment of
| appendicitis, a disease which has re-
Gently become fashionable and which,
according to popular ideas, may be
considered well-nigh epidemic.
| Appendicitis is a modern term en-
ployed to designate pathological con-
dition not new perhaps but newly dis
ognized And while this obscure dis
| ease Doubtless existed and possibly
claimed many victims in the past the
question can not fail to present itself
| TO the thoug htful mind why it should
have attained such undue prominence
Of late? If existing heretofore but un-
recognized it must formerly have been
confounded with other diseases. May
it not be true that the medical pro-
| feSsion is now only too ready to con-
! found the symptoms of other diseases
with those of appendicitis.
! For while a skilled surgeon could not
we'll fail to recognize a typical case of
appendicitis, 1T must be borne in mind
that the symptoms of appendicitis may
| be SO complicated with those of other
diseases as to tax the surgeons skill to
! the utmost and yet leave him in the
| dark as to the true condition of the
patient. And it is in just such doubt
full cases that the fatal tendency of the
| specialist, to find that which he seeks,
asserts itself. AS for the patient he
| is at the mercy of the doctors, since
he knows not appendicitis from COM
mon belly-ache.
! Given an undoubted case of appendi-
cftis, however, a question of Importance
| indeed Of vital interest TO the patient
presents itself, i. E. as to the treatment
of the disease Assume that there are
three physicians in attendance upon a
| supposititious case, one of whom ad-
vises medical treatment pure and SIM
| pie, another medical treatment with re-
course to the surgeon in case the situ-
alton becomes desperate. Third, the
surgeon himself, who contends that the
| knife is the only remedy and who is
ready and anxious to proceed to busi-
ness at once, and we gain a reasonably
accurate idea of the views entertained
treatment of appendicitis.
| While surgical intervention is unques-
tionably called for in certain cases it is
! justifiable only under exceptional cir
cumstances, and under the most favor
able conditions may be succeeded by
the gravest results But though mind
| full of these facts ii is becoming more
/ and more the practice of the radical
| branch of the profession to indiscrim-
| inately submit their patients Ito oper-
| alton, needless of the risk and regard
| less of the consequences. What in
| fiuenceS determine this custom ii is
difficult to say. Personal ambition and
mercenary motives doubtless play their
part; but it would seem more chaIita-
| bic to attribute the practice to a species
| of incipient madness, infectious in it's
nature, such as in a more aggravated
| form at one time peOpled our aSylumS
| with the deluded seekers after perpet-
| ual motion. Whatever the cause, the
| abuse remains. while the helpless pub
| lie, in quite as much danger from the
| doctors as from the disease, eschews
| seeds in every form as Though fruits
were the gift of the devil rather than
| of Deity.
1t is not my purpose to discuss the
! treatment of appendicitis, but to point
| out the folly and danger of the method
| most commonly adopted. Could ac-
curate statistics be gathered in Sacra-
| mento as to the relative merits of the
| two extremes-the ultra conservative
| and the radical-to say nothing of the
conservative and true msthod-it is
| very much to be doubted whether the
balance would lie in favor of the sur
gical method Several physicians
could be mentioned, who have treated
many cases of appendicitis who have
never found it necessary to resort to
the knife and who have, moreover. yet
to report their first death from this
cause
While aware that such a communica-
ton as the foregoing Will have little in
fiuence with the profession trust that
it may appeal in a measure to the good
sense Of the people, who are in truth
the ones most Immediately concerned
in the question under discussion If
so, my purpose will be adequately ac-
complished, since it is to the common
sense and ultimate action of the people
that we must look for the correction of
all abuses. A. G.. BAILEY, NJ. D.
Judge of Santa Clara.