The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-12
APPENDICITIS.
An Able and Somewhat Cnustic Es-
say by IA French Physician.


1t is a long time since appendicitis has
been discussed at the Academy of Med
icine True. we have had vacations,
and though appendicitis is not idle the
academy supposes it ought to rest dur
ing the months of August and Septem-
Der. And besides, 1t begins to become
difficult to say anything new on a
question which for ten years past has
made so much ink and blood run. 1t
is DR.. Chauvel. medical inspector OF
the army, who has belled the cat by
study on the frequency of appendicitis
in the French Army.
A little detail in passing. During
the year 1902 the military hospitals re-
ceived 66S patients afflicted with APP
pendicitis. Out of this number SS
have been treated according to the sur
gical rite, and 4S0 have received
purely medical treatment, although, &C
cording to a celebrated mot the medi-
cal treatment of appendicitis does not
exist" OF the 1888 operated on with
the knife, 20 died: while the 4S0 not
treated with the knife furnished but
FIVE enthusiastically l per cent. Thus,
theoretically. medical treatment does
not exist: but practically, medical
treatment cures ninety-nine out of a
DunQfeQ. L MS Is NtAd llOub III TIC
theorists, but not to be treated with
contempt by the sick.
The interesting point in the statistl-
cal study of NJ Chauvel is the compari-
son which he Institutes between the
figures furnished by the army of the
metropolis and by the army in Alge-
ria. In 1901 the Nineteenth Corps OF
the Army of France had 460 cases of
appendicitis, very nearly one to every
70 h.
else. 095: while the Nineteenth Corps
in Algeria and Tunis had but thirty
two cases or 0. "A per thousand, twice
less. In 1902 these figures are larger:
GIG cases in France or 1.27 per thou
sand, and 40 in Algeria or 0.63. The
proportion is smaller in Algeria than
in France. and the difference, which
is from simple to double. remains ex-
actly the same in 1902 as in 1901.
These statistics not having been man
ufactured pour les besoins de la cause,
we may consider the deductions exact
and admit that as a general rule APP
pendicitis is more rare in Algeria than
in France Besides that is the opinion
of all the physicians who practise in
our African colony. And NJ. Chauvel
cites the example of surgeon in
very active practice, of a rather enter
prising character, who, during a So
journ of five years at the civil and
military hospital of Blida, found but
a single occasion for operating for APP
pendicitis. Unlucky surgeon!
NJ. Chauvel pushed yet further his
inquiries. Our army in Africa in
cludes Europeans and natives. Legion
aries, soldiers of the line and Turcos.
are they equals before appendicitis?
Or Mohammed, does he kindly extend
his protection over the appendices of
his followers? In five years, from 1898
TO 1902, out of an effective of $4,000
men, we have among the French and
Europeans 1877 cases of appendicitis, or
o64 per thousand, while in the same
space of time out of an effective of
II 900 natives we find but thirteen
cases, that is, OLA per thousand.
BY this it appears that appendicitis
is two times less frequent among the
French soldiers in Algeria than among
the French of France, and it is ten
times more rare among the native AL
gerianS. The difference is much too
great to be accidental. 1t should have
a cause. What is it? Is it an affair
of race, of climate, of religion? NJ.
Chauvel thinks it is a question of ali
mentation.
The Arabs are very sober; they eat
little and are above all vegetarianS;
when they do eat meat they eat it very
much cooked. Accordingly, among the
appendicitis is almost unknown. If
one observes it more frequently among
our auXiliaries, sharpshoOters and
spahis, it is because the regime of the
latter is no more the regime of the
Arab, but nearer to that of the
French trooper
This explanation perhaps is not alb
eolutely satisfactory, inasmuch as it
does not tell us how and why this rel
QfiUe Immunity pXtpn6G Eurnnal g
transplanted to the soil of Africa,
where their alimentary regime hardly
differs from the regime of the metrop
oils; but one may suspect that it has
much truth in it. Other observers
have signalized this rarity of appen-
dicitis among people less carnivorous
than ours. DIR. Snyder who for ten
years past has been attached to the
court of the Shah of Persia, has had
to treat but five cases of this malady
at Teheran. three of which were Eu-
ropeans and only two Persians DR..
Snyder also attributes the rarity of
appendicular accidents to the mode of
almentation of the Persians. At Te-
heran abstinence from pork is obliga-
tory. and the meat of cattle is almost
unknown. They hardly eat any meats
but mutton and chicken, and these al
ways very much cooked. One OF the
two Persians attacked by appendicitis
was a student recently returned from
Paris, and he had continued to feed
himself in the European style.
On the other hand DR.. Matignon, who
for five years was physician at the
French embassy at Pekin, has not met
a single case of appendicitis. either in
the missions or in the hospital of Nam
Tang during the whole of his sojourn
in the north of China. Now the Chi
nese. according to Matignon, eat but
very little meat. The European alone
eats beef. Meat is a luxury which
only people in easy circumstances can
indulge, and it's consumption is very
limited. The great majority of the
Pekin population are nourished main
ly by millet simply boiled in water,
rice, cabbage, sweet potatoes, picked
turnips. The Chinese eat also much
Indian meal and wheat, of which they
make cakes with dough not leavened
and cooked by steam. Thanks to this
regime the Chinese enjoy an admir-
able liberte du Ventre, and that un-
doubtedly is the cause of their an
pendicular immunity.
The carnal regime, then, the abuse
of meat, appears to be the true cause
Of this evil. No meat, no appendi-
citis. And the Vegetarians triumph,
II appendicitis is less frequent in our
rural districts than in cities il is be-
cause our peasants are nourished more
upon farinaceous food. DR.. Champion
Mere knew a physician practicing in