The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-11-23
PHYSICIANS GRAFT BY UN-
NECESSARY OPERATIONS
CONTINUED From Page OneD

one thing In addition to declaring
that rs per cent of the operations for
the disease are not necessary the
doctor proudly points to the fact that
no patient OF his is ever unnecessarily
operated on for The ailment. He be-
lieves In medical treatment for the
cure OF the disease.
No patient suffering from appendi-
citis should be operated on until IL is
seen that an operation is absolutely
necessary said the doctor. Most
cases can be cured by proper diet and
the administration of medicines and
hot or cold applications to the affect
ed portion of the body Not one of
my patients is among those operated
on in Detroit. | am glad TO say The
appendix is in the body for a purpose.
and is not a useless appendage, as
claimed by some operators
DIR. CTuiokshank dealing with the
subject of appendicitis in the course
of paper on Operation excuses
before the Lambton County Medical
society, said the part
II is my purpose to comment
upon the abuses that have arisen
from appendectomy and other
great surgical procedures. Asep-
tic operators could open the abdo-
men with such safety that in
few years in every hospital on
this continent amputations Of the
appendix became as common as
stomachaches, and perhaps more
numerous on account of the cur
rent belief that this organ was no
use whatever, but Il positive detri-
ment to its possessor.
We are rapidly approaching the
time in the history of this disease
when the great majority Of cases
will be treated by physicians and
the operative cases will be attend
ed to before pus forms. but in the
meantime the public has suffered
much physically and financially
The most capable surgeons have
subjected patients to needless
mulilation and the incompetent
have sacrificed many hundreds OF
lives
Speaking on the practice OF remov-
ing tonsils. Dr. Cruickshank said:
The fad Just now is TO remove ton
sils. They should not be removed at
all. Tonsils ar necessary in the
throat, otherwise they could not be
there. They stand in the throat like
two sentinels, ready to take care Of
any germs which may gather there
Some doctors remove them because
they get enlarged, but | don't think
that Is any reasonable excuse. II
they become enlarged. it must be for
some purpose. probably SO they can
take care Of more than an ordinary
amount Of germs in the throat I
would remove tonsil only in case OF
being diseased.
But, happily, customs are chang
ing. While operative excuses are
the rule just now, ten years from now
the operators OF today will be looked
on as barbarians. There will be but
little unnecessary operating in the
future
DR.. Cruickshank does not like to
associate the surgeon with the
operator. The later. according TO
DR.. Cruickshank, is the man who goes
to excuses in operating. while the
surgeon is the one who operates only
when he feels il is absolutely neces-
sary. In his paper on Operative ex-
cesses' DR.. Cruickshank said on this
point
A revision of the present system OF
medical and surgical charges IL also
advocated by DR. Cruickshank. believ-
ing that different method would be
advantageous TO the patent. The doc
tor would stop charging by the visit
and access the patent according to the
responsibility involved in the case
Or. Cruickshank, in commenting on
the ethics Of the medical profession.
said that while he was not in sym
pathy himself with newspaper adver-
Using. he would not try to prevent any
other doctor from advertising honest
ly in the newspapers. In fact, he said
he thought the honest doctors would
have TO adopt the idea OF newspaper
advertising in order to compete with
those who were continually reaching
out for practice through illegitimate
channels.
A. l.. Lafferty has succeeded II. ].
Kinnucan as manager for the Postal