The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-11
NEW FEATS IN MEDICINE.
Lines of Investigation i'm Which the
Profession is Interested.

Harper's Weekly.
The first principle of learning about the
progress of medicine and surgery is to &C
cept with distrust all the information that
the newspapers give 1t is almost lmpos-
sible to tell the tale of surgeons hopes
or a PHYSICIANS expectations so that 1t Will
convey 10 the lay mind the precise degree or
information that is ready to be transmitted.
When the surgeon or the physician talks TO
his mates, as at doctors conventions, his
facts are understood and his conjectures are
sifted in the light of the experience of his
fellows, but we laymen are apt to swallow
whole the tales we read of medical dis
covery and to be disappointed when the
expectations we form are disappointed. The
papers have begun TO disclose, for example,
that experiments are going on that look To
operation on the kidneys. Surgeons no
longer stand on much ceremony with the
kidneys, but deal with them as they would
with eyes, or any of the duplex organs.
taking one out when it is hopelessly dis
ordered. and making repairs on such as are
repara BILE. They say one OF the new opera
tons fer Bright's disease is TO peel off the
outer coats of the kidneys and leave them
TO work, you may say. in their shirt
sleeves. At any rate. some of the sur
geons do some kind OF operation which is
said to cure the patient. though the whole
proceeding is still in the experimental stage,
and there has not been time yet 10 deter
mine whether the cure is permanent
A special line of investigation about
which the medical profession Is just now
concerned is directed to the measurement
or the pressure or the blood. 1ne pulse
has heretofore been the indicator of the
strength OF the blood currents. but now
long series of experiments on animals and
humans has resulted in a mechanical de-
vice which does the work more accurately
and supplies a record Of the absolute pres
sure which can be measured by the rise OF
mercury I'm a graduated tube. The precise
nature of the contrivance used is too long
II story to tell here, but an inflated rubber
bandage around the arm is the basis of IT,.
BY means of il the doctors think they can
measure the precise effect of remedies long
used TO stimulate the flow of the blood cur
rents and determine how far and how
long they serve the end intended. One of
the results believed to have been reached
Is the conclusion that alcohol is of less
value than has been supposed i'm keeping
life in fever patients and surgical patients
who are suffering from shock. In these
latter cases where the patients life is eb-
bling because the blood runs too feebly,
outside pressure on the surface of the
body has been found to help. IL Is best
administered by clothing the patient in a
double suit of rubber so contriyed that Ii
can be inflated and subject the wearer' S
whole body TO gentle and uniform pressure.
These discoveries are thought To promise
valuable additions to the stock I'm trade
of therapeutic knowledge though of course
no medical discovery gets standing as a
really useful find until IL has stood the In
/ exorable test OF time.