Smyrna times., 1901-03-13
CONSERVATIVE COURSE IN
SURGERY RECOMMENDED
TENDENCY IN THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
TO OVERDO WITH THE KNIFE.
DR.. E. Dawson Formerly of Camden, DEL.
Thinks There is Tendency TO Excess
in Abdominal Surgery.

IN Abdominal Surgery.
DIR. e. Dawson, once a prominent
and leading physician of Camden,
Del, now retired, is visiting his
daughter, Mrs. w. d. Hudson, near
Clayton. His interest in the profess
sion has not abated, and he submits
the following article for publication:
The tendency in the medical profess
sion is to overdo, and especially in surg
cry to take risks when often conserva-
tive course would give the better
chance of life. Operations for ap-
pendicitis are now numerous and with
out as many cures as by an intelli
gent, conservative medical treatment
as formerly. There is indeed ten
dency to excess in abdominal surgery,
not conducive to life saving. The alb
dOmen is lined by a closed sack of
tibro-cerous membrane, very delicate
and sensitive. 1t is reflected in double
folds from its walls covering the alb
dominal vicera, forming the outside
coat of the bowels, &c. There are no
openings for entrance to or exit from
this wonderful fuel sacks called the
peritOneum. A large rent in it by
violence used to be considered very
dangerous. L well remember the eau
tion of one of my old teachers In sur
gerry, DIR. William Gibson, speaking
of cutting into this cavity, he eau
toned us to remember Gods command
to Moses when he was near the burn
ing bush, from which he spoke,
''Draw not nigh hither, but put off thy
shoes from off thy feet, for the ground on
which thou standeth is Holy ground. "
OF course it becomes necessary some
times to handle and stitch it, as a re-
suit of accident, &C., but before the
discovery of listerism and the plan of
operating in tight room with the air
heated to blood heat, operations were
seldom successful. 1t is comparative
immunity under heat chemicals, de-
structive to microbes that emboldens
men on doubtful diagnosis to put the
the lives of patients to extreme danger
in order to make paying reputation
as specialists or great surgeons.
After close observation l conclude
that two-ffths of the cases diagnosed
as appendicitis are mistakes, many
proving to be only obstructive infa-
nation in the coecum or the ileocoecal
valve. Many old plodders in the pro-
fession simply classed all such cases
under the convenient name of obstruc-
tion of the bowels and poured in dras-
tic cathartics and really hastened the
death of many cases. Not long ago
there were doctors in practice who
never heard of appendicitis until they
saw the name in the newspapers.
| have in my long experience treated
many cases commonly called appendi-
citis, and in all stations of society,
from the highly educated and refined
daughter of a defeated Presidential
nominee down to an old man in a
cabin, without operating, and lost only
the one case spoken of in extreme
poverty, my course is to bring an alb
solute rest of the part, apply heat by
pOultices or hot-water bags and feed
concentrated animal essences, and
after a few days open the bowels with
soothing enemas. l am liable to be
called an old fogy, nevertheless, feel
moved to sound this note of warning
to the public.
Nature never puts out a misleading
index nor uses surplus materia ial and L
am fully convinced that the Apendi-
cGLae VermQOris has its use. L class
it with the glandular system and use,
that of secreting material mucoid in
| its nature to coat over and prepare par
ticular refuse spiculae of bone, oyster
shells and fruitseeds accidentally re-
tanned in the coecum.
Respectfully,
E. DAWSON.