Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-06

condition and has lost the power of CO.
herent speech. Altogether there are signs
of a general breakup.
The dropsical indications are spreading
rapidly and may at any moment touch the
heart with fatal result, while the condition
of the patient prohibits the camphor treat
ment. DR.. Damsch and a Persian doctor
will pass the night at the bedside of the
monarch.
French Specialist Talks.
Apropos of the special dispatches from
Teheran, reporting the progress of the
shah's illness. DR.. Robin, a celebrated
Paris specialist and member of the
Academy of Medicine has contributed the
following suggestions:
According to the symptoms reported
there is no doubt that the shah is attacked
by Brights disease, and the complications
which have supervened lately are the re-
suit of the ever-increasing impermeability
of the kidneys. This attack of Bright's
disease IS the result or gravel. from which
the shah has suffered long time and for
which he took several cures at Contrex-
vile.
DR.. Lndley, following the old principle,
put his majesty on a milk diet. Prof.
Damsch of Gottingen has completely re-
versed the preceding treatment. and has
advised him to take as mucn nourishment
as possible. giving him a stimuant for
appetite. These two treatments do not i'm
ply divergence of diagnosis between the
two doctors.
In Bright's disease milk diet is useful
as long as the water eliminated in TWENTY
four hours is small in quantity and as long
as general nutrition is satisfactory. When
the water eliminated augments, and when
general nutrition Is unsatisfactory, 1t may
be very useful to change the mode of
nourishment and insist on the patient TAX
ing substantial food
In this case 1t is necessary to favor the
elimination of water by means of medi-
cnes, such, for instance. as theobromine
which one gives in doses of one gramme
and fifty centigrammes per diem in three
cachets. taken at one hour intervals. This
remedy is abandoned the moment water is
eliminated in sufficient quantity.
Can Hardly Recover.
In view of the point reached by the dis
ease from which the shah is suffering 1t is
hardly probable that he will recover. His
life may be prolonged, thanks to the treat
ment of which he is the object. but one
ought always to fear the sudden appear
ance of complications. such as '.texeomia"
or "uraemia," which Is likely to carry him
of very rapidly.
The only surgical intervention possible
in these affections Is practiced on the low
er extremities. By means of a lancet very
fine incisions are made and the dropsicaI
liquid is drawn off. This operation is not
without danger, for little wounds thus
made may become inflamed and a source
Of infection, Just as dangerous as the
dropsy.
1t is generally followed by ameIioration
which is oftee more apparent than real,
since 1t may open the way to serious COM
plications when under the influence Of a
milk diet Albumen tends to increase 1t. 1t
is evident that milk can be superseded and
the patient given solid food, but-thfs is per-
haps the only case in which permission
can be granted, and the shah was GER
tainiy not in that condition because his
growing worse, II 1t did not coincide with
at least followed very close behind the APP
plication of the new treatment.
Beware Of Medical Novelties.
This unfortunate event demonstrates
once more how necessary 1t is to be on
ones guard against new methods in medi-
cine before they have been confirmed by
the general consent of the majority Of
practitioners.
The public has a strong tendency toward
accepting much too easily novelties in
medicine, which too often shine with but
an ephemeral brilliancy. soon to fall into
the deepest oblivion
The public. which is like a big enid,
should also remember that a given treat
by reason of it's individual characteristics,
will fail in another where the tempera-
ment is different.
Most people nowadays. even the doctors,
are too much inclined to generalize as 10
treatment. which may be eff1cacious some
times.
The shah is not the first victim of the
mania for systematizing Milk diet is
and will long remain, excepting In a few
special cases, the basis Of treatment of
Bright's disease.