The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-05

Left to itself. Potts disease makes a
hunchback Of its victim with fearful
certainty and precision, Taken in time
it can almost always be cured, and
though it may occur again and again
in a strenuous. subject. no deformity
ensues under proper treatment
The symptoms are simple. and clean
cut. The spine becomes more or less
rigid long before any deformity mani
the abdomen. BECAUSE of these pains,
the faithful. sleepy old family doctor
often treats the little patient for
worms, As q matter of fact the pains
result from fiit1amms ton of the nervous
system conferred in the spinal column
The nerves being punched in the
abdomen. the pain naturally manifests
itself there. Bending the body forward
usually produces pain; bending it bacEs
ward relieves the pain. If the patient
is able to walk his gait Will be pain
fully careful. he seldom or never
stoops TO pick up objects Instead. he
crouches. Sometimes there is pain in
the back. but not often No deformity
will be observed at the start. but II the
disease is allowed to run slight knob
or hump Will soon appear. Sooner or
later. in nearly every case, paralysis, TO
a greater or less extent, will manifest
llSell- i his Is .uue 10 lilt ldtl thcl tiit
disease has invaded the spinal canal.
Dr.. Phelps Studies.
These symptoms were neatly laid
down as absolute guides by DIR. a. NJ
Phelps. the professor of orthopaedic
surgery at the New York Post Gradu-
ate Medical school DR.. Phelps, 1t is
conceded. is today the foremost au-
thority in Potts disease. its cure and
the cure of the deformity it produces.
This article is based on an interview
with him. An orthopaedic surgeon is
a medical mechanic. Hunchback and
the disease that produces it, are to be
cured almost solely by mechanics. and
a most interesting thing this cure is.
No medicines are given except cod
liver oil and other nourishing sub
stances that help TO build up and repair
the tissues that are being destroyed
by the poison germs. Lots of fresh air.
healthy surroundings and plenty OF
good food make up the rest of the
treatment outside of the field of me
chanics. A hunchback patient in fact
is treated just exactly as conSunp-
tive is treated.
But the hunchback has a decided adj
vantage over the consumptive. 1t is
impossible TO cure consumption of the
lungs. Thanks to the possibility of APP
plying mechanics, consumption of the
spine is easily durable.
The reason, and the only one, why
pulmonary or ordinary consumption
cannot be cured is that it is impossible
to secure a rigid condition of the
lungs If it were possible to keep the
lungs absolutely quiet, the disease
would not spread. The germs would
be confined TO the area of infiamma-
ton, comparatively small. in which
they first settled. 1t is the constant
agitation of the lung tissue caused by
breathing that spreads the germs,
breaking down more and more of the
healthy tissues.
Dr. Lewis A. Sayre, the great New
York surgeon was the first practitioner
to realize that what was impossible in
the lungs was attainable in the spine.
Until his discovery, only a compare
lively few years ago. spinal conSump
ton was considered as incurable as
lung consumption. The only. difference
then was that in spinal consumption
nature stepped in at a certain point to
check the disease. The germs having
settled themselves in that particular
section of the backbone that had been
injured were spread gradually as they
are in the lungs by every movement of
the patient. Every time he sat down
or got up or turned his head or stoop
ed. the patient caused an agitation of
his spine that spread the germ colony,
and carried forward the work of de-
struction The germs always fastened
to the interior or soft PORTION of the
spine. Pretty soon the entire interior
side of one of the bones of the spine
was eaten away. Then the next YER
tebrae is attacked. Naturally there is
soon collapse The spinal column,