The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-06-28
Cured Without n Knife.

Can u genuine, well authenticated,
unauuitcratcu case OF appendicitis be
cured without Il surgical operations Is
there q way to reach the seat OF the
trouble and remove the cause without
the use of q knife!
Physicians and surgeons have gene
rally held to the idea that it is ONLY by
removing the troublesome vcrIniform
appendix that the seat of the trouble
can be reached and II cure effected. but
here is one who thinks to the contrary
and seems to have demonstrated IT i'm
one very severe case. He is DIR. George
marknbly simple was the method en-
pioyed by DR.. Helmcr that the story
OF the cure is told in the newspapers.
The Press gives the details.
Inc patient was Il young woman
about twenty years of age aud II MEM
Der OF an excellent Harlem family. At
her own request her name is not given.
but the facts arc fully vOuched for.
According to these, only eight minutes
had reached the patient until he had
completed his work, as he believes,
successfully. When DR.. llelmcr reach
ell his patient he found her in great
pain. She had had similar attacks be-
fore and two physicians, one of them
inc, family physician for many years
and the other II physician who had
attended her i'll Atlantic Highlands, \. .
j.. had pronounced the trouble appen-
dicitis. and had stated positively that
She would have to be operated upon
with q knife.
Tho treatment of DR.. lIelmcr was
said to be SO instantaneous in it's effects
and SO simple and harmless in it's an
plicatlcn that some physicians are in
cllncd to wonder why it was not dis
| covered and made use of before. To
one looking on the operator seems only
to apply one hand to the point midway
point above the stomach; then bend III,
the right leg OF the patient ut the knee
joint and give the leg Il slight twist by
| mcpns OF quick motion. repeated two
or three times, and the operation is
| ended.
The appendix is II ru,limentary organ
which Ill man has no use, i'll some ami
mails it has. Yet it is supplied with
arteries and veins. The disease known
the appendix, i little sack. by feed
particles, so that inflammation sets in.
The pain, which sometimes is cxcruci-
ating, is caused by the clogging of the
| veins so that when the blood continues
to be forced into the appendix by the
| heart through the arteries it is pre-
vented by the clogging of the veins
from passing out again.
The operation performed by DR.. Hell
| mer was nothing more nor less, as he
| describes it, than the forcing out of the
appendix of the clogging particles that
occupied 1t. 10 do this from the out
side and by merely mechanical means
requires the most perfect knowledge Oi
the human anatomy and long practice,
| but when once understood is simple
enough.
Just back of the appendix is the
largest muscle in the human body,
known as the .psoas magnuss. 1t is ut
taclicd to the fcnur or big bone of the
leg, and is the muscle by which one
can revOlve the leg as on q pivot ut the
heel. 1t is this muscle which is made
to do the trick of emptying the appen-
dix. Using the fingers OF one hand tu
hold the walls of the abdomen in place
and to prevent n rupture of the delicate
internal structures, with the other hand
q spasmOdic contraction of the psOns
nagnus is brought about, which snaps
| 1t against the appendix and forces out
| OF that organ whatever foreign sub
stances 1T may contain.
DIR. Helmer, according to the press
report, would not discuss the case at
first, bIt aftcrward, at tho request OF
the patient who thought it might be Il
benefit to the public to have tile facts
known, did explain it. AS 'llustration
of how these foreign substances are
expelled from the appendix, the doctor
placed the thumb Of the reporters left
hand fatty i'll the palm Of his right
hand. Then he. slapped the palm OF
the hand smartly against the broad OF
the thumb.
.'Tho hand represents til. rsoas
MUSCLE" he said, ''amd the thumb the
appendix. We produce u spasmodic
contraction of the psOas magnus, like
the slapping of the palm OF the hand
against the thumb. This forces the
foreign substance from the appendix,
and relief follows Immediately.
It was suggested by the reporter that
this hardly could be considered a cure
as the disease might return when the
appendix became clogged again.
"That is true" said the doctor, "But
the same is true Of any disease you
name. No physician, in curing q dis
ease, gives n guarantee that it will not
occur under favorable conditions. 1--WE
think we do we'll even to rclieve in sc
simple and painless manner disease
that hitherto has been regarded as G
most SariDus md itN nnOnv 0nooc a fo fo]