Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-06-14
A CURE FOR CONSUMPTION.

| Cal Associations convention mus lar II
an address delivered last Thursday
morning by DR.. ]. B. Murphy, of Chi
cago on "The Surgery of the Lungs,
in which he described some successful
experiments with mis- methods of treat
ment. The discovery was made public
for the first time that day and its an
| uouncement was received with the
greatest enthusiasm from the assembled
physicians.
Briefly" said DR.. Murphy, "tuber'
culosis of the lungs, if left to itself, has
= tendency to cure itself. In over 7(
DER cent. of deaths from all causes, 6
post-mortem examination will show
spontaneously cured tuberculosis. which
IN tie majority of cases, was unsuspect-
ed during life. The effect of climatic
changes is not to cure but to give It's
,ues an opportunity of rebuilding them
selves.
1T mas been found by experiment by
myself and others that the reason that
d person is enabled to live and breathe
Aith large portion of the lung tissue
gone is that the capabiliiy of the lung
is fully ten times as great as the actual
working surface. That is, there is nine
mes as much tissue in reseserve as
there is in actual use, and if a
| portion of the lung is removed the re-
naiuder will expand and fill the pleu-
raj cavity, thus giving as much work
iug surface as before. This 1 have
demonstrated, first by experiments on
dogs and afterward on humans.
Tine sore spots in the cavities and
on the tissues of the lungs, while in
constant motion as in breathing, are
prevented from healing just as any sore
| if constantly irritated will remain open.
a sore on any part of the body would
not heal if it were being continuously
pulled apart. The tendency of the tu-
bercular sore is to heal, and if left alone
it will heal.
the way to do this is by withdraw
ing the air. That the air can be with
drawn with safety is demonstrated pa
thologically in the treatment of pleurisy
| and other diseases in which air and
fluid have been drawn off. The very
best way to get this effect is by COM
pressing the lung or placing pressure
upon it. There are two ways of doing
This. One is by removing the ribs and
| allowing the chest 10 collapse.
| The pressure of the side will
prevent air from entering and
prevent the spread of the disease.
A far better way, and one which L
| adopted after much experiment, is the
introduction into the cavity of gas.
The best gas for the purpose is pure
nitrogen, for, unlike air and oxy-
gen, it has no effect on the
| tissues and will not be absorbed. Air
might remain in the cavity for week Or
even longer, and then would find its
way ont of being absorbed, but the
lung needs longer rest than this, and
nitrogen find to be perfectly adapted
TO the purpose.
81 have been working on this suhje
for three years, but during the past
year have experimental practically
with this method. l have tried it in
five cases of advanced tuberculosis with
unqualified success. AS result, l
can say with safety that, unless the
lung is entirely gone, permanent cure
can he effected. The action of the nj
troeen congresses the lung and gives 1t
an entire rest. The nodule of the tu-
berculosis becomes cicatrized or sacri-
fed into solid substance and the tbs
sue builds up around it.
"In one case which commenced to
work on in December last the patient,
who had not slept for months on ac-
count of his continual coughing. slept
that night for the first time. The
cough disappeared entirely, the night
sweats disappeared and the tempera-
ture was returned to normal, thus
leaving no symptoms of the disease. In
April skiagraph was taken OF the case
and the tuberculosis was found to nave
entirely disappeared" :"
DR.. Murphy exhibited q number OF
skiagraphs which were unique as being
the first on record in which the healthy
and diseased conditions of the lung
we're shown. The perfect tissues In the
healthy lung were shown ss well as the
cavity in the diseased lung. Other pic
tnres showed the outlines of the healthy
normal lung on one side and the dis
eased aud compressed luDS III "hi0n
the cavity was filed with nitrogen on
the other.
am the FIVE cases which l have used
this treatment DIR. Murphy continued,
''cure was effected in from four to eight
weeks. The nitrogen treatment is e1'
ceedingly simple. 1t consists mostly
of introducing q hyperdermio needle
through which nitrogen is injected.
The needle is supplied with stopcock
bv which the amount introduced can
he regulated. There is sensation OF
short breathedness for few moments
in some cases, which Immediately OILS,
appears. and in every case is followed
by relief, perhaps the first time in years,
This is particularly noticeable IN tne
absence of the tickling sensation which
causes the patient TO cough, anu
the cough disappears immediate
Iy. The patient is in no way
aflsc cteG; is not required to take
TO his bed and oal continue ms
usual business without Inconvenience
l,a a pA