Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-24
An Iowa Man Has Tested
New and Probably Successful
Treatment of Typhoid
SWALLOWS SOFT RUBBER TUBE
Thru This Solution Of vitriol is Intro
duced Into tho Bowels and the Bao.
terra Killed - Believes With Early
Diagnosis the Disease Can Be
Killed.

Des Moines, Dec. 24.-Dr. William
]. Latta, physician Of the Hotel Monte
Colfax was in Des Moines yesterday
and was asked as to the details of the
new treatment which he has discovered
for affection of the small intestine. He
exploited his discovery and the prac-
| tice, SO far as carried out at the time
before the Jasper County Medical As
ISOLATION, and doctors everywhere have
been talking of it.
Il am not anxious for any notoriety
connected with the idea" said DR.. Lat
ia, but if description of the treat
ment will be Of service to any person
in the world who is i'll, the people are
welcome to it. Personally, feel conf
dent that very recent cases which have
fallen under my observation could have
been brought to different and more
happy results had this treatment beer
known
THE use of the soft rubber tube has
come to play an important function In
the art of medicine and surgery. Re-
Gently it has been used with some sue
tubercular lungs by conveying to the
affected organ anti-tuberculin creosote,
etc. Why should not similar MODE
Of treatment of affections of the intes-
tines be adopted successfully?
Especially would it seem reasonable
to treat typhoid fever cases in this
way, the practical difficulty Of reach
ing the intestines with the tube hav-
ing been solved. My experiments in
the latter have been perfectly satisfac-
tory. took small thin, pure rubber
tube about three feet in length, one
end trimmed to feather edge by cut
ting on the bias, and attached string
about four inches from the end, the
string being about five inches long and
sponge being attached to the end OF
the string. Both string and sponge
were dipped in melted parafine. l swal-
lowed the sponge and tube at 10 p. M.
ate freely of lunch, slept fairly well.
and experiencing slight nauseau. In
the morning there were signs of bile.
alkaline in character, the inference be-
ing that the tube was in the duode-
mum. Four quarts of water poured in
to the tube passed in half an hour,
demonstrating the location of the end
of the tube. DR.. Turner examined
specimen of the degecta for bacteria
and found myriads of them.
Uses SuIphate of Copper.
-Four or five hours later we poured
into the intestines thru the tube a So
luton of sulphate of copper (about one
pint in 100000, following the sugges-
ton of DR.. George T. Moore, of the
government, who has made extensive
along this line. He says
that one to 100000 vitrol solution will
destroy the bacilli Of cholera and ty-
phoid in water, but that it takes
much stronger solution, when found
in milk. He found that one to 300 So
luton was necessary when they were
surrounded by this medium. To de-
termine the effect Of the vitrol solution
on normal bacteria, DR.. Turner kindly
examined the degecta and found an
number as compared with
the first specimen.
Accepting the above made state
ments as true, the following deduction
can be made:
"Given all early diagnosed case of
typhoid fever, where the bowels have
been properly emptied, and introducing
tube as above described; washing the
intestines with a solution of vitrol one
to 10000, every three. hours, four times
will, it seems to me, destroy all bac-
terra, and restore the patient to health"