The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-01
MEAT CAUSE j J. OF
APPENDICITIS.
u
Trouble Is Found Mainly Among
Those Who Arc Con-
sumers OF Flesh.
(From the Paris Matln.).

NJ i
III It'll Is a long time since appendicitis has
been discussed ut the Academy OF Aledl-
cine. True we have had vacations. ana
though appendicitis Is not idle. the acade-
my supposes.i 1t iough. forest during the he
months OF August and September ind
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 Or. Chnuyel, medical
Inspector Of the army. who has belled
the cat by study on the frequency Of ap-3
pehdicit!s in the French army.
A little detail in passing. During the
year 1902 the military hospitals received
Gss patients afflicted with appendicitis.
Out of this number 1888 have been treated
according to the surgical rite, and Aso
have received purely medical treatment,
although, according to celebrated mot
1.-THE medical treatment OF appendicitis
does not exist" OF the 1eS operated on
with tile knife, twenty-three died; whlle
the 4SO not treated with the knife furnish r.
ed but five enthusiastically one per cent.
Thus, theoretically, medical treatment
does not exist; but practically. medical
hundred This is vexatious for tho
theorists, but not to be treated with con-
tempt by tho sick.
INiTHD ARMY.
The interesting, part In, the statistical
study Of M. Chauvel Is the comparison
which he Institutes between the llgures
furnished. by the army OF the metropo das
and Sy the army Eorns asa1a Army Of
france had 460 cases Of appendicitis, very
nearly one to every ] 900 OF the effective
to be precise o95-while the Nineteenth
Corps in Algeria and Tunls had put tnlr-
ty-two cases, or 0.44 per 1,ooo-twlce less.
1902 these figures are arg SCI
In Algeria, or o.63. The proportion Is
smaller in Algeria than IN. France, ana
tho difference, which is from simple 70
double, remains exactly the Same N ioo5
as III 1901. s., Z.
These statistics not having peen manu-, n'o
factured pour les besolns de Ia cause, We
NAV consider the deductions exact. ana
admit tina as a general rule appendicitis
Is more rare in Algeria than ~ France.
Besides, that Is the opinion Of az me
physicians who practice ~ our African
colony. And nj. ChullYelE CUES .ue e Stina
ple Of surgeon in very active prac ,1,c Z
~ u rather enterprislng character, vine;
dining a sojourn Of Ave years at the OWL
a nd military hospitals Of Bllda, FOUND put
a single occasion for operating LOT APP
pendicltis, Unlucky surgeenH ,,,s H.
NJ chauye pushed S $erc .url includes s Eu-
r ropeans and natives. Leglonarles, 80. Soi,
t 1;ara r. the line and Turcos. AFRO they
an,,a,s ,hefore appendicitis. 81 Moham-
med, does he kindly extend hl ss,, p,u.So
ton over the appendices OF MS io,tom ms 81
In i've years. from lses to tg L.v w among
t tho Trench and europeans lS7 cases o.
a ar1 or o.64 per ,0oo WINE -
M same space of time, out OF an eMnc..ss
~ or 1900 natives, we fna put 1H'F'es''
gcases.-that Is OH per lW1,
Nv THIS 1t appears that appeMal1c,,. a,,o -
~, ~ ,n,es less frequent among the tFehsN
sn,diers In Algiers than alnuns .na
Tronch OF FRANCE. and u IL zen .!I.les
-,,nrr,N rans among tho native Algerlans,
nho difference is much too great - 70
occidental. It should have a cause Wn ".
ia It? IL. It an affair ot race, o. 81
mate, Of religion? NJ. Ghauye1 '"i''As
II Is a question Of alimentatlon,
,rhe Arabs arc very sober; they, ear
,,ttie, and, above al, are yegetarlans;
When they do eat meat. they eat u
v mns' ,oncI cooked. Accordingly, ans ~
$the' native tribes living thsil ordlnaIy
life. appendicitis is almost unknown. -
one observes II moro freauetltly hi'loiis
our al,xiliaries, sharpsnooters aHu spii'ia.
Il is BECAUSE the regime OF the latter Is
no more the regime Of the Arab. put
nearer d. 10 that OF the French trooper
This explanation, perhaps y no. anso,
lutcly satisfactory. inasmucn as u GOES
not tell us how and why this relative
Inn extends to Europeans trans
planted TO the soil In Africa, where their
alimentary regime hardly differs from
the rsgime Of the metropolis, but one
may suspect that ~ has much truth IN