The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-28
LIQUID AIR AS A CURE.
Destroys Cancer and Is Useful as an
Anaesthctic.


There is hope al last for cancer pa
TENTS, something this side the grave
worth looking forward 10. This hope has
been long in coming but ii has arrived
and bids fair to become a positive assur-
ance. It's basis is liquid air, that is, air
condensed to one ht-hundredth its nor
mai volume, and having a temperature Of
-312 degrees, which is 40 degrees below
the ordinary blood temperature of human
beings.
Just TO what extent this wonderful liquid
VIII be effective against the disease that
hitherto has been fatal almost invariably,
only time can determine. It may prove to
he a spcidc. DR.. Campbell White has
been using It twice week now for four
months in the department of skin diseases
at the Vanderbilt Clinic at SiXtieth street
and Amsterdam avenue, and has had fav-
orable results in every case that has come
10 him, with the exception of three patients
who had ringworms. Liquid air did not APP
pear to have any beneficial effect on these.
1t has cured erysipalas, assesses, sciati-
ca, carbunc.es. neuralgia and blood tum-
ors surely, and probably has cured lupus
and cancer. DR., White will not declare the
cancer and the lupus cures permanent, be-
cause sufficient time has not passed yet
since he treated these diseases to demon
strate that the poison is out of the system
for good and all. He is hopeful because IS
patients show signs indicating complete
recovery but he is careful to state that
much more time is necessary. He expects
TO give rather fur report in The fail
This method of treating skin diseases is
so new that doctors do not understand eX-
actly the mode of action. Liquid air is
not on the market. Professor Tripler who
makes il in his laboratory, says there IS
still so much to Learn about it, so great a
possibility Of its possessing dangerous
mr. White q a
disnclined, for the present, at least, to
assume the responsibility of furnishing
liquid air promiscuously to the profession.
II is quite possible in the near future that
a place will be arranged with all the facil-
tiles for The administration of liquid air,
so that physicians can take their patients
to it, as they would TO a private hospital
and conveniently apply the treatment. 1
intend TO continue the use of liquid air
throughout the summer a Dr. FOX's elm
ic, where any physician who has some dis
pensary ratient upon whom he would like
to have the liquid air tried can take him
for treatment"
To watch DR.. White at work at the
Vanderbilt Clinic, one would not think him
to be handling a substance especially dan
gerous He comes TO the skin diseases de-
partment, on the third floor. carrying a
laboratory flask IN one hand and In the
other what looks like an ice cream freeZ-
er, wrapped in cocoanut mating. The
mating is really thick coarse felt. Inside
is a can of boiling liquid air Oiquid air
bois at -3l2 degrees), which purtles merri-
" and sends off a cloudy VapOr much like
steam The doctor ladies out cupful
with a tin dipper and pours II into the
flask where it continues TO boil and to
shoot out puffs of vapor. There are two
corks in the flask, one in the side of the
neck a sort of safety valve, and the other
,rrh ytriat nan a a
blow-pipe. about one-quarter inch in diam
eter. and tapering to about one-sixteenth
of an inch As liquid air evaporates its
volume Increases 800 times, consequently
there is plenty of pressure within the
flask and the vapor Is driven out through
the blow-pipe with much force.
Ready for Patients.
DIR. White is now ready for his patients.
His method of treatment Is simple enough.
They sit in chair, and he directs the
stream of vapor Kissing from the flask
against the sore. AS the vapor strikes
the mark is congeals and coats the sore
with frost which dissipates, however, in
two or three seconds. as the stream (
vaDor Is turned off. Assesses, boils amt
carbuncles succumb to one application Of
LIQUID air vapor A quarter Of an hour Ia
ample time for ordinary cures, though, as
the doctor says. whenever pus has form
ed in large quantity It IS well to anaes-
thetize with liquid air, inclse and evacu-
ale. In all cases the application of liquid
air relieves the pain instantly. SloughIns
does not follow excepting in the case OF
fairly well advanced carbunclos, and in
some abscesses when the everything skin
has lost its life by tension and .n1amma-
ton. But in these cases the slough II
only superficial, and the ulcer left heals
readily
In one case Of shingles on the chest the
eruption dried up within three days Of the
application Of the spray from the flask Or
llquld air. and in another case the erup-
ton was dry in five days III each case
there was only one application Of the
spray. one adminlstration was sufiicien,
also in several cases Of sciatica and neu-
ralgla Dr. white treated Two cases az
ervsipelas Of the face by rolling glaaa
ube fun Of lquid afr over the affected
part Relief waF immediate. and she tcm-
porafure of che skin. abe inflammation ana
ne pain subs dod re- once. Withln TWEEN
iy-four h0Irs Toe swelling ana The sore
ness had dlsappearsd eniireY
One patient had fha entire lfft forearm
t.H ffaYN eusgIlFf Ng lNg UutaIT. TIa DO.