The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1909-10-20
THE SPECTACULAR IN
THE HEALING ARTS

frightful malady or have peculiarly
virulent type of disease-all this that
their fame may be the greater if the
patient RECEIVERS, or that there may
be no blame If he does not. However
this may be, it is a fact that the rep
utation of many doctor has been
enhanced by the fact that the pro-
racted and complicated illness OF
some patient has resulted in at least
partial recovery, when, in truth, their
own methods have been largely re-
sponsible for the unusually long ILL
less, the complications, and the fact
that recovery was not complete.
On the other hand, in cases equal
ly severe, the osteopath, who work
ing hand in hand with nature, over
comes muscular contractions, takes
he pressure off of nerves, equalizes
the circulation, thus avoiding local
congestions and other complications,
and brings his patient to a speedy
recovery, by the very fact that COM
plications are avoided, often fails
to receive credit for handling a very
serious case.
There is a natural tendency to ap-
plaud the skillful surgeon who per-
forms a delicate and difficult opera
ton in desperate case and prevents
the death or prolongs the life of the
patient. And who is there who
would withhold applause under such
circumstances? In certain cases the
work of the surgeon is highly neces-
sary and cannot be dispensed with.
However, his operations are usually
widely known and owing to the ma
ture of the case his fame is heralded
abroad, and many times the real
worth of his services is greatly ex-
aggerated.
In striking contrast to this the
work of the osteopath often appears.
A patient comes to him suffering
with some obscure malady that has
baffled the efforts Of his medical ad-
visor. The osteopath finds in some
structural arrangement the cause Of
his symptoms. Some nerve impinge-
ment or some obstructed vessel has
produced condition which, If unre-
lieved, will sooner or later drive the
patient to the surgeons table. Quiet
ly, carefully, for possibly several
months, treatment is given; the le-
lsons are corrected; the patient is
restored to health. Nothing spectac-
ular about this. The patients friends
do not know, and usually the patti
ent himself does not realize the value
of the service that has been rendered
Yet prevention is better than cure.
When we say prevention we mean
more than that a particular illness
may be avoided. Though osteopathy
often does this, for a perfectly ad-
justed body, with all its organs func-
tioning properly, is better able to
resist disease. But when disease
does find lodgment in the body the
nature and effect of osteopathic
treatment is such that complications
are far less likely to occur during its
course and distressing sequelae are
by no means so likely to follow its
termination.
When surgical operation is per-
formed and the patient does not die
the public is informed that the opera
tion was successful. What the public
does not realize and appreciate are
the facts that tissues have been di-
vided. nerves and vessels severed,
and possibly limb or an organ has
been removed. Rarely is the patient
fully restored to health. AS some
one has said: "a bird with a brok-
EN- wing can never soar as high as
one that was never injured"
How infinitely better is osteopathy
which, in fair proportion of cases,
precludes the necessity for opera
tions. Thus the danger of the anes-
thetic, the shock of the operation,
the weary days OF suffering follow
ing, the loss of time. the surgeons
fee, the hospital expense, are all
avoided-and the patient has
whole body.
Surely. when people generally
awaken-and they are rapidly awak-
ening-to the fact that the old adage
IAN ounce of prevention is worth
poind OF cure expresses a great
and practical truth when applied to
the healing art, then osteopathy will
have fully come into its own and
will be rated at its real worth. This
Is not to imply that osteopathy has
not as great curative value as other
systems, or greater, even In apparent
ly hopeless cases, for such implica.
tions would be far from the truth.
osteopathy has made remarkably
rapid growth in popular favor and
has had its share OF marvellous cures;
indeed 1t has often proven effective
as last resort and has restored |
many who have been regarded as In.
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