The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-19
FOR APPENDICITIS.
sURGBOEGENERAL TERRY REPORTS
NAVY OUREs WITHOUT TIE KNIFE

a Cases out 81 sl Yielded e rats rrsatunent
--Dr. n p. ruerris ChaiIcnrcs Rin statement
ana Onstr % Stake 81. 900 rhat There were
Hst 90 Receveriss - Dr. Terry's Refeinaer.
whether appendicitis can be effectively
treated By medical means alone or whether the
use Of the knife II necessary in most cases, is the
subject Of a discussion In which the medical
and surgical experts are 1t present deeply In
terested. No organ Of the body hes caused moro
discussion or puzzlement among medical mon
than the vermiform appendix, and every new
suggestion al to treatment for appendicitis IL
eagerly discussed. Consequently when DR.. N.
o. Te ~ Of Utica, Snrgeon-G General OF the Ma
tional Guard Of this State, published q PAM
phlet q short time ago advocating the use Of
catliartics and sweet oil In the treatment Of this
disease. and declaring that Of hfty-one cases
under his personal supervision forty-nine were
successfully handled, without operations, COM
mcnts, favorable and otherwise, few freely.
In the November. 1897, number of the Medt.
cal Times. DR.. Terry defended his practice. The
treatment, 40 he described 1t, 10 substantially
as follows: At hrst cathartics Of castor oil
and sweet oil followed by hot water are given.
until tho bowels arc thoroughly cleaned out.
This treatment Is followed by enemas Of elycer-
Inc and sweet oil. Flaxseod poultices soaked
In sweet oil are kept on the abdomen. The diet
10 restricted to very light, easily digested foods.
The oil treatment, DIR. Terry says, removes the
friction Of tho infamed tissues and relaxes
them during resolution. In this way, he says,
he has cured cases of chronic. reourrent appens
dicitis. To prevent a return Of the trouble
after the original treatment. he prescribes Q
tablespoonful Of sweet oil, followed by a:glass
of hot water, before each meal for several weeks.
His statements have been sharply challenged
hv nr nNhorN ID ATa,Hi. - An Wa Tbirt--
ninth street, an eminent authority upon appen.
dioitis and q warm advoca te of the use OF the
TYntes DR.. Morriss challenge and DR.. Terry's
After stating that the medical treatment I'D:
SSocatsd by I'D DR., Terry Il !. the he ,% oos,. excellent !
"'But very busy men sometimes find it dificult
to keep track Of ALI their cases. When Q physi.
clan Of DR.. Terry's prominence statee that forty.
been cured by medical treatment, / assume that
come Of the men upon who he has depended
ceiyed him. and l viii put my idea in this form.
troP NJ each ast one y the Sise crsg:niHHe V easea pat tSsS.s
ands that none Of these patients have died Of
jected themselves to operations for. append.
5000 e tho 18Th library az ' q The my Ss% IVY Ysrt AssS:
envy Of Medicine on juno l, 1893, IL he fnds
died of appendicitis or Its complications, or
have, subjected themselves to operation for ap-
81 have no knowledge whatever Of any one Of
study OF the subject Of appendicitis, and from
tho findings III the analysis Of 100 oonsecu-
tive operations Of my. own, reported In the SEQ
ond edition OF my lectures On appendicitis,
Of all appendicitis patients eventually die
under under n sSs saes sF = %saical d sre HHs SSa's ss sass
Gated by DIR. Terry It 10 possible to cause subsi.
dence OF the acute symptoms in forty mine con.
s%ecutive single attacks OF Appendicitis, but
cal treatment appendicitis patients spend more
time In bed, suffer mole, and die oftener than
they do under the best sort Of surgical treat
ment."
In his reply DR.. Terry declines to accept the
AS my cases arp the accumulation Of i've
most difficult matter to trace out each one,
owing to the changes Of residence OF some, to
and to the consultation element entering. into
the proposition, with physicians whose petients
Nevertheless, DR.. Terry stoutly adheres to
his medical treatment, declaring that the
appendix should DO assisted In emptyfng itself.
gets this defence from him:
Evolution is all right, but we have noted no
great changes In the appendix for ages In man;
therefore we believe that the Creator. left It
there. not for the knife of the surgeon. but for
some purpose"
Other authorities have taken sides in the
merits of medical or surgical treatment In APP
pcndicitis, and tho disc Is likely 10 DO
prolonged and to bring out material Of interest
and value from various practitioners.