Evening journal., 1910-10-20
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Dream That Led to a
Treatment for Appendicitis
BY "Holland.D
BY "HoIIand.P

A well known encyclopedia authori-
ty states that the name of James
Marion Sims deserves n place as an
inventive genius among the great sur
geons of the world" lt was Sims
who, about the middle OF the last cen
tury, substituted silver wire for silk
and other sutures, first making this
daring experiment in a peculiar and
hitherto incurable disease. and then
extending the use of metallic sutures
to general surgery.
For some time he had been making
a study of the hitherto incurable ma
lady. He knew that the common silk
suture would be eaten away by acids
before the wound made by an opera
tion could heal; it was this fact that
made the disease incurable. He was
puzzling over this apparently insur-
mountable obstacle one day when he
was walking about the streets of
Montgomery, Ala, where he made his
great experiment when he saw a hair
pin of the common black wire variety
lying upon, the sidewalk. Instantly,
an idea flashed into his mind. He
picked UP the hairpin, took il to a sill
yersmith, and asked the latter If he
could draw q silver dollar into a wire
much finer than the hairpin. When In
| formed that this could be done, Sims
/ gave Instructions for a dollar to be
drawn into a wire that had the thin
ness Of a coarse thread; and with this
thread OF silver he was able to COM
plete successfully his difficult opera
tion- thereby banishing a hitherto in
durable disease. and establishing a
new era in American surgery.
In an equally extraordinary manner
came the first hint 10 its originator
of what has come to be known I'm the
enteric cases. which include appendi-
citis and typhoid BY originating this
treatment Or. NJ. o. Terry gained
worldwide notoriety. Yet until now il
has never been published how he got
the germ of the idea that caused him
to prOmulgate his famous treatment.
1T was a curious experience. yerg-
ing on the weird almost that first
led me to the study of medical suf-
ficiency of oil in the treatment of
many kinds OF enteric diseases. especi-
ally appendicits,r said DR.. Terry.
81 was very fond of olives-and am
yet-and It was my custom after a
day spent IN the hospitals and in fol-
lowing my private practice TO eat a
handful of olives. with a few crackers
ON the side, before going to bed. FIRE.
quently, was careless and left the
bottle OF olives uucorked, so that
when ] went again TO It ! usually
found the contents incrusted with a
sort of scum, and the olives them
selves turned sour.
well. ono night, after q hard day e
work including two very difficult op-
eration / fell into a sound sleep. And
a dream came to me. II was as vivid
as though 7 were awake. And in II
was told that If. after opening a bot
tie of olives. I would pour upon the
water in which the olives were packed
i'm the bottle enough oil completely tC
cover the water. would have no fur
ther difficulty about my olives souring
Furthermore, ] was told the philo.
sophy Of this. II you pour oil into
the bottle il was said to me in the
dream, Il will float upon the top Of thu
water. it will make an absolutely inn
pervious coating. No germs from the
air can penetrate II. IL will smother
all germs. for that is the quality o
oil Therefore your olives will b
protected
81 awoke. aud reached out to m!
night table, which always stood by m.
bed, and made a brief note in my not