The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-02
ARE ROENTGEN SPRAYS THEN CURE-ALL
Astonishing
Difficulties Experience No
Requires Much Time and PesiSency.

the cure of lupus, a dreadful malady
which oftenest attacks the face, maxi
| ing it hideous with deep-eating ulcers.
The ulcers, it is generally admitted,
are caused by the same bacteria that
cause consumption. Still, at first DR..
Schiff did not expect to destroy the
bacteria by the use of the rays, but
to cause deep local Inflammation that
would react against the germs.
The first lupus case treated was a
girl of IA, who had deep alterations in
both the upper and lower sides of the
right arm. She sat under the rays
properly focused, from fifteen to thirty
minutes a sitting during a period of
two months. In that time the upper
side healed entirely, the under side
not at all, the reason being that the
rays were applied to the upper side,
and the bone prevented them from pen
etrating to the under side. DR.. Schiff
had purposely arranged for such re-
suit, meaning to show the girl before
the medical society of Vienna before
curing her thoroughly.
The second case, a. lad of Is, suffer-
ing from lupus under the chin, was
cured entirely by the same treatment in
about six weeks. The third case, a
young man of 20, with deep alterations
over his neck and left cheek, was also
cured entirely by the same means. Sum-
ming up, DR.. Schiff said: Il regard it
as demonstrated that. the disease of
lupus may be cured by applications of
the Roentgen rays. Caution is neces-
sary; twenty minutes exposure every
two days is usually sufficient, and 1
find an induction coil giving a, spark
thirty centimetres long quite strong
enough
DO you believe that consumption of
the lungs is caused by the same bac-
terra that causes lupus?"
THAT is the general opinion of bac-
teriologists."
Then is it not likely that the Roent-
gen rays may kill these bacteria in
the lungs just as they kill them on the
suTface?"
TT is hard to say; there are two diff
culties in treating consumption with
the Roentgen rays, first the obstruction
of the ribs; second, the danger of in
Illumination"
TREATMENT OF CONSUMPTION.
"Have you succeeded in using the
rays without danger of Inflammation?
"Yes-but we had some trouble in
doing SO. 1t is all right if the rays are
not used to too freely. AS for the OBJ
sIructions of the lungs, l think it pos
Sible to get at nearly every part of
them by moving the tubs up and down.
/ ann waiting hopefully for the test.
In Wiesbaden there is the Physical
ischeS institute, for the treatment of
diseases by the Roentgen rays. From
it's director, Dr. Jungling, L got an idea
of the rapid. strides to be made by the
new treatment as soon as doctors gen.
orally come to realize it's Importance.
He has the largest and most varied col
lection of Roentgen tubes eXistant. To
understand the details of their con-
struction and application, one must be
a physicist, as we'll as physician. This
tube" he said, taking UP one shaped
like "a large sausage, lis for the kid
neys; that little one for abcesses of the
brain; the horned one for diseases OF
the abdomen; this other for general use
in the lungs, and this for cancer
CANCER TREATMENT.
What" 1 exclaimed, do you treat
cancer with Roentgen rays?'
why not?" he said. The Roentgen
rays kill all bacteria in the body"
Then you ought TO be able to cure
many diseases"
"All diseases caused by bacteria can
be cured by the Roentgen rays. if the
applications are properly made, and
the patient can stand the treatment"
Are there patients who cannot stand
the treatment?'
Some are too weak"
And cancer? You have actually cured
a case of that with the rays?"
-Four cases; one of cancer of the
womb. three of cancer of the stomach"
What other diseases have you
cured?"
Some cases of lupus. several cases
of consumption of the lungs, and sew
eral of consumption of the throat. You
may see a patient who came in three
weeks ago, unable to speak from con-
sumption of the throat"
TREATMENT PAINLESS.
We went into an adjoining room,
whence came the sparks and buzz OF
middle OK the floor with his throat
bare A few inches away a Roent@en
ray tube was doing its silent work.
He spoke to the doctor in clear
voice. The treatment, which lasted
from thirty to forty minutes, the doc
tor assured me was painless. He said
also that the patient was certain to be,
cured. His voice had come back
after the fifth application of the rays.
II have just dismissed, cured. Ger
man engineer who came tc me in the
third stage of consumption" he said.
His life had been desDaired of. He
had fifty-six treatments, sometimes
two a day
DO you always put the tubes close"
NO; the distance, like the length of
spark from the induction coil, varies
with the Individual treated. It is TO
more possible to lay down general
rules for applying the Roentgen rays
than ii would be to lay down general
rules for administering aconire or nor
nkine'