The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-10-07
Medical Science and Practice.

Editor The Washington Herald:
The daring adventurer on the treach-
erous sea OF therapeutic nihilism." con-
corning whose assertions I have previously
commented in these columns. seems par
TALLY 20 have intellectually 20 have
reset-his controversial sail. From the
position Of denOuncing. az least by impli-
cation, all regular practitioners Of medi-
cal science as the perpetrators Of zone
vast humbug' that blinds the public"
and causes q high mortality" he has
glided into comparative calm, in which
a voice is heard to utter these words.
1T is lot medical men, but the methods
Of some of them. ! am coudemning
l" ." Why did ne not say so in the
first place? Could he possibly have wished
rs 10 understand him as believing that
medical science itself could be a vast
humbug," without the Intervention Of
medical meng' What constitutes nedi-
cal science2 Can Rochelle salt or
microscope ''humbug?"
As 10 the assertion concerning the
seriously harmful effects OF Quinlne IN
malarial disease and Of mercury In lues.
Il IS safe 20 state that these drugs have
saved a thousand lives for every one
they have destroyed.
Directly opposed to what DR.. Walter
asserts Is the fact that vaccination and
anti-toXin' never enjoyed, among truly
scientific physicians. such implicit conf
dence as they do to-day Medical science
does not claim 20 have a specific cure
for consumption" but IS. nevertheless.
curing thousands Of cases Of that disease.
The madiCal profession has accepted
autI-toXin, not for the reason alleged bv
DR.. Walter, but because il has been
forced 20 do SO by such facts as the fol-
lowing. OF 1926 cases Of diphtheria.
treated in $50 separate cities previous 10
anti-t0Xn. the mortality was 3S.4 per cent.
Since the introduction Of anu-toxin 1872
5io cases have furnished a mortality Of
only lt6 per cent OF SO cases injected
on the first day 10 died, mortality Of.
IL per cent OF a5j cases injected on the
first day Just ! died, a mortality Of or.
per cent. Only few years before at
least l% OF these would have died,
But the bitterest pin for my friend 10
swallow Is yet 10 be administered He
asserts that THE reduced mortality I'm
dipht7eria has been accomplished by
doubling the number of cases" Now. Ill
IS perfectly evident that while the dag
nosing of minor throat affections as diuh-t
iberia would falsely reduce its mortality.
il would not so reduce. but. II either
would increase. the figures representing
the actual number OF deaths from that
disease, FOR such OF the spurious eases
as might die would be charged 10 diph-
liberia. This. then. is the pill" Thei
average annual deaths from diphtheria
and Group per 10000 of population IN Lon
don before anQ-toXin was As per cent.
after, ~ per cent. In Berlin. before. l02I
per cent; after. 81 per cent. In Paris. be
fore, 65 per cent. after, Is per cent IN
New York. before, 1A5 per cent; after,
SO per cent. In Chicago. before. 1871 per
cent; after. per cent. In Denver. before |
1873 per cent; after, II pc! cent. In Phila-j
delphia, before, lis per cent: after, 96l
per cent The evidence is conclusive thatl
n anu-toXin were invariably given on the
first day practically al cases Of diph- |
liberia, otherwise In good condition, would
recover.
Medicine is mans richest legacy from
the hand of Time, the fairest star that
glitters In the diadem OF science.
HERMAN Z. KITTREDGE.