Waterbury Democrat., 1902-04-14

old doctors knew anything concerning the peculiar action of the rays or light. If they carried out the red | treatment 1t was purely guesswork- It would, however, be doing small 1 justice to the doctors of the past to insist that they were wanting in ob- seryation. They must have noticed l how in many cases of smallpox the most violent of the eruptionS took place on the faces and hands of their patients. Might they not have appre- ciated the fact that the hands and the faces of the patients, which were ex- posed to the light bore the marks of the yirulence of smallpox more dis l tinctly impressed than those other parts of the human frame which were under cover?
 With this introduction. the red treatment may be explained. It con- sists in excluding as far as possible all the chemical rays from the patient attacked by smallpox. The windows are covered with some red material It matters not whether the stuff em- ployed be of cotton or wool. Such light as comes through the door of the room must come through red medi- um. Light, natural or artificial, can- not be done without. The doctor, the nurse, must have access to the pa tient Save for troubles of the eyes, nothing could be worse for the sick than darkness. If a lamp, or candle. or gas, or electricity is used red shade is imperative. To sum it all up. the Finsen method does it's best to keep out in every way the harmful chemical rays, and to substitute the harmless red ones.
 From such data as can be found 1t does seem as if the stimulating rays the violet ones-tend toward the ac- tiyity of the pustules, while the red ones, if they do not subdue them. at least act in a benefcent manner. Con- ditions may be more inclined to be normal by use of the red rays. Again it is to be distinctly stated that this treatment is not Q cure, but that the malignant character of the disease may be in certain measure lessened. According to Professor Finsen there were 70 smallpox patients subjected to the red light treatment in the hospi- tals at Copenhagen, Paris. Dublin and elsewhere. Of these 70 there was but one fatal case. In almost all cases our authority states that suppuration twas notably diminished, and so the disease ran through a shorter period"
 The expense attending the applica- tion of the red treatment is insignifi- cant. A whole piece of red coIored paper muslin or cambric costs but little. For a few dollars the bed, the 1 windows. the door or the room could be draDed with red. The risk in- cured is of the slightest. With the least judgment the ventilation of such red room can be perfectly cared for
 It might be added as bearing on this subject in general way that measles have been subjected to the red light treatment and with excellent effects.
 The New York Times holds in dread l the vaunting of specific cures for the innumerable maladies humanity is subject to. It even approaches the red-ray light treatment with a certain amount of diffidence. No one can ac- cuse Chambers's Journal of being g1v- en to sensationalism In a recent | number of this most conservative pub- | lication the red light treatment is de- | scribed, and thorough trial of it in | England is suggested.
 The Times has to thank Dr Lederle |
  nation on the subject. He states that the Finsen red light treatment for smallpox had been tried flor q short | time some years ago with very doubt ful results He adds, however, ''the matter has recently been under the consideration of this department, and it is probable that an arrangement will be made for giving the method a more rHh fncfs f 11 bered how long it took before the posi- tive relationship existing between the mosquito, malarial and yellow fever was established. There is no question that under the superintendent of the department of health of New York, by careful and accurate experiment, the advantages of the red light treat. ment for smallpox. even if of the slightest, will be ecognized.-New York Times.