The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-05
CURE OF THE HUNCHBACK.
MEDICAL SCIENCE NOW /BLB TO
PREVENT 7HIs DEEORMITY

sunnot-hetnOda OF TreNtmeut.
That rug shaken in the back yard should
change n wcll.formcd child a block away into .
hunchback, or that u bottle of milk from tubercu-
lous should have the same result is a proposi
ton surprising TO many persons Yet both things
are possible For this dcformity is merely one
Of the symptoms OF durable disease lust "a de
lirum is a symptom of various fevcrs Taken
In It's carly stages the disease may be checked
long before any dcformity manifests itself
From time immcmorai the average man and
woman has put ii down that hunchback is due
to an injury. And SO II often is, but no, In the
way generally suffered \ child may be dropped
out Of the nurses arms, or fall down stairs os
he run over by a wagon. come to grief in hun
drcd different ways. and the result may be Q
hunchback. But only II the case is neglected
There is no hunchback as direct result as there
is, for example. u fracture II one Of the child's
legs is broken. The spine Is not broken. II II
there would be no hunchback. There would
be a funeral. There is probably no great injury
Of any kind There is simply a bruise, which.
II the child Is strong and healthy. produces no
more result than would q bruise on the leg or the
head or the arm. Nature takes hold and cures
the bruiso as readily and as thoroughly az Il
cures bruises elsewhere But II the child is sickly
or not strong, poorly fed and poorly housed the
injury may produce hunchback. II is here that
the shaking Of the rug or the drinking Of the
impure milk comes in.
Tho poison that produces hunchback Is the
bacillus Of tuberculosis the germ Of consumption
For hunchback Is simply consumption Of tbs
spine, identcally the same thing as consumption
Of the lungs. In the disease attacks the
lung tissue the other, the bone structure Of back.
The rug that has been beaten may have been
in tho sick room Of n consumpuve. The germs
lodged in 1t. released by the beating. float in the
air 4 f,,, I,axa fo,, IL. d.
child that has had his backbone bruised. The
bruse is healing nicely. and under ordinary con-
ditions no damage would be done. But unfortt-
na,cly this II a child with a weak constitution.
The germs released from the rug float into the room.
They are breathed in by the injured child, and by
his small brother alike. The brother being
healthy and strong. eSpels the germs in a natural
way. But the child with the injured back LACKS
this power. The germs travel through the system.
enter the blood and make the circuit Of the body.
BY and by they reach the spot in the spine where
the bruisc lies Nature is busily at work repair
inr the damage done some days before. Mil
lions ri new cells have formed. Here are all the
conditions necessary to the Judgment and growth
and cultivation 81 the poison germs. In healthy,
fully formed tissue they cannot exist But this
forming tissue Is weak and the bacilli come
To stop in their circulation through the system.
They have found soil in which they can thrive,
and they take hold at once II. instead OF having
met with accident 10 his back few days before.
the child had contracted q cold. resulting in an
inf ,mmatiun Of tho lungs. the germs floating in
from the rug out 81 doors or the germs cultivated
in the impure milk from tubcrculous cows, would
have brought consumption, As II is, the lungs
bring sound. the germs passed through them
wiIhou, finding l"dgucnt and settled in the back.
bnnr. The result j. tuberculosis or consumption
Of the spine. otherwise called Potts disease.
1t is at this point OF, very shortly thereafter
that the responsibility of the family physician
begins 1t rests entirely with hun whether The
little patient shall be cured. or whether q cripple
shall pass out II his hands For once the bunch
back EXISTS nothing aud nobody can cure il Up
, g. a certain point the defnrmitv NAV be improved
The hump NAV be reduced bv modem methods
Of surgery. hut complete reStoration IL impossi.
bic Left 10 itself Potts disease makes bunch.
back Of i,s victim with fea tul certainty and pre-
ciSon. Taken III time II can almost alws- = b
cured The symptoms are simple. and clesn cut
The SPINE becomes moe or less rigid long be ore
pains in the abdomen Because Of these pains
thc faithful sleepy old family doctor often ueat.
matte of fact the pains result from infa nmnuor
ot the nervous system Ccntcred in the spinal column
sS Jn me ,c uss" ,hp p.in IN.
patient is able ~ walk his gait will be painfully
cn'ciul Itr seldom or never Stops 70 pick up
j. pain III the back. but no, often. No deformiiy
viii BE- observed at the start but q the disease IL
allowed IA nun. slight knob or hump will soon
appeal Sooner or later in nearly every case.
pa'alysiS, H. = g-catc- or less extent will mani
fest itself This is due Ia the fact that the disease
has invaded the spinal canal.
ThrSc symptom, wee laid down as absolute
by "a at S rsT PSs Grs % &
zeal School An o-thopaedic surgeon Is medi.
sal mechanic huncheask and The disease Is the,
cS and most interesting thing this cure Is:
y" medicines are given, except cod-iiver oil and
by The p"ison germs Lots Of fresh aif, heaithfui
r " hr al" T% Outside side Of f the sd y
mechanics. \ hunchbark patient in fact is treated
reason why pulmonary oT ordinary consumption
cannot be cured ~ that II is impossible 10 SECT -
rigid condition m Of The lGnSS was rs pSSs.i
would not spread The germs would he confined
u the area Of inflammation comparatively small.
agitation Of the lung tissue caused by breathing
that spreads the gems. breaking down more and
Dr. Lewis A. Sayrc was the first practitioner
to realize that what was impossible In the lungs
was at,ninarlc in The spine. Until his discovery.
sumption was considered as incurnble as lung
CONSUMPTION, The only difference then was
GRAIN p"n SeSE r d dhGrs Re germs
hayIre sculc'i themselves in that particular sec.
spread gradually as they AR in the lungs by
every movement NJ the patient Every time he
die raucn, caused nm agitation Of Ills spine thai
SPREAD the germ colony and carried forward the
. NOfh ul DESTRUCTION Inc germs always IaSten
10 the interior or soft portion Of the spine Pretty
soon the entire interior side 81 one Of the bones
Of the spine is eaten away, Then the next YER
B zebra is attacked, Naturally there Is soon =
| collapse. The spinal column, partially eaten
away on the inside, buges outward; The hump
| Is formed. As the work Of destruction continues
| the spine bends more and more until finally the
curve Is so great as to let the ribs OF the patien,
settle on the hip bones. Dr. Sayre noticed that
In all cases where the patient lived until this point
| was reached the destruction stopped. The ribs
settling on the hip bones acted as a support for
| ha S.NI Al
! bones no longer rubbed together and the germs
! IN consequence could not spread their work was
! over Certain new hone tissue formed partially
! replacing that which had been destroyed In
| Illumination ceased and the patient was cured
, except for the dcfurmiy caused by the curve ~
| his collapsed spur,
| Dr. SSytc anticipated this ailment process
| by applying plaster Jacket KS soon as a case
| Of Potts disease came under his obscEy Walton,
| he suspended the patient by tho arms and nee;
| by means of pulley Ia the point "i comfort that
| is the toes barely touching the ground. lhH
| strengthened the CTOoECd spinal column Ia the
extreme point Of safety, adding from two 10 eight
| inches ~ the patients height accordingly as the
| bal mr. Ion tI,p mai thu