Douglas Island news., 1908-05-27
Is Appendicitis a Myth?

Are many of the so-called eases of appendicitis merely no more nor less than stomach aches?
 Dr. M. J. Rodermund, author oi She "Aa it Is," a scientific exposure of the frauds of modern medicine and sur gery, virtually declares thas aPpondi- citis does not exist.
 @Ihave witnessed and assisted Sn 34 operations of so-calIed appendicitis" l" he says '' but never have ] seen dis eased appendix"
 Rodormand charges that tho sar- geons use the popular dread Of eppeu dicitis as method of ''shnking down" their patients.
 "I have seen a number of healthy blooming young men and women sent to the angels just because the surgeon wanted the fee of three to five hnnd- red dollars" he says.
 Then he goes on to explain how the expert surgeon makes good In an Oper- ation for appendicitis, decsiving not only the friends of the patient and the patient himself, but the assisting physicians as we'll.
 "phe surgeon puts bis finger deep into the wound, fuds healthy appen- dix, which the touch will usually re- veal, begins to talk scientifically about the intense a6hesions, and comforts bis face into all sorts of expressions, and explains the serious apprehension while breaking up tbese imaginary adhesions.
 "But what do you suppose the sur geon is really doing all this time? He is pinching and squeezing the appeu- dix so as to look diseased when he 8nally takes it out. His finger Vails will have produced dents and swelling sufficient to deceive any doctor or lay man looking on, or any inquiring friends of the patient"
 All this talk about the appendix filling up with grape seeds, cherry pits and other fruit seeds, which as youngsters we never hesitated to swal- low, is all buncombe, Rodermpud de- clares.
 "The anatomy shows that it is an absolute impossibility for the appen- dix in man to be come obstructed any more than the glands that secrete the saliva can be obstruCted by the food in the mouth, be says.
 "This little appendix is a glaudular organ: he explains, land evidently there for purpose similar to that of other glands, i. e., to furnish lubrica- tion and answers as an oil can to pre- vent any obstruction when the con- tents are passing from the large intes. tine into the smaller one."
 In the dog the appendix appears, but it is practically a continuation of the intestine, with wide-open mouth, in- viting the Judgement of infinitely larger Instructions than possibly could force their way into the human appendix.
 Yet dogs do not have appendicitis.
 The nearest possible approach to ap- pendicitis, according to Rodermund, is the clogging of the intestinal passage with fecial matter at the abrupt curve over the appendix. Should such a caking of the intestinal walls occur it might be expected to produce pain, and possibly some inflammation which might be communicated in extreme cases to the appendix.
 "But," be says, ''this IS no more ap- pendicitis than a common stomach ache would be inflammation of the bowels"
 Moreover such condition may be re leived by diet that has tendency to loosen the packed substance in the in- testines, or it may belremoved by re- sort to grandma's simple purgative treatment.-Seattle Star.
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