The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-01-12
NEW CURE FOR ALCOHOLISM
Surgeon Of San Antonio, Texas, Re.
moves Part OF Stomach-Called
Gastro-Jejunostomy.

One of the most recent contribu-
tions to medical literature deals with
an original method of treating chronic
alcoholism. The writer, DR.. j. w.
Kenney Of San Antonio, Tex, declares
that the only means Of curing alco-
holics is by surgery. In proof OF his
contention he cites a series OF cases
so treated by him, asserting that In
a majority of them a cure was effect
ed. His article, entitled "The Alco-
holic Case and a Surgical Operation
for the Cure of Chronic Alcoholism
appears In the current issue OF the
Texas Medical Journal.
Doctor Kenney's method is to make
an artificial opening in the stomach
loop up the jejunum Ca part OF the
lntestine), make an artificial opening
in the jejunum, and unite the two ar
tlhcial openings. The operation Is
called gastro.jejunostomy. Here are
Doctor Kenney's reasons for resort
ing to this operation:
Il. Because medical treatment fails
in a majority II not all cases, and
must necessarily continue to fall be-
cause It does not remove the cause
of the gnawing or craving for alcohol.
"2. Because the pathological condi-
ton caused by alcohol is almost iden'
tlcal with pathological cor litions pro,
duced by other causes which are re-
lleyed by surgical treatment
THE drunkard in giving history
of his case usually points to his stom-
ach as the cause of his drinking. Very
few claim that the taste for liquor has
anything to do with It, In the stom-
ach will also be found the first evil
dence that the physical basis of life
protoplasm-hasb been injured and the
physical structure of that organ Is the
first to present pathological condi'
tions.
1T has been proved that alcohol
stimulates the action Of the senses
and organs of the body for a short
time. This supranormal condition Is
quickly followed by the infra-normal,
which indicates a partial paralysis Of
the nerve ends, and eventually OF the
nerve centers.
Continued repetition Of this proc
ess results In hardening and partial
paralysis of the muscular coat OF the
stomach, and an inhamed or liberated
condition Of the mucous coat Such a
condition produces vitiated appetite
and impairs the action, OF the stom
ach. which is the most important OF
the digestive processes. To relieve
this condition, when produced by any
agent other than alcohol, surgical
measures are demanded. Why not
apply the same principle in the alco-
holic case?
Reasoning along this line con
vinced me that all hope of curing a
case of chronic alcoholism lay in a
surgical direction, and resolved to
try the operation that | had in mind
upon the first case that would grant
me the privilege An ideal case soon
presented itself-a young man Of
high degree, who had descended TO
the lowest depths Of saloondom, and
had foundered about in It for sew.
eral years, presented himself with the
request that | do something for him.
after a two weeks preparatory
treatment, a posterier gastrojejunos.
tony by simple suture was performed
upon him. lie left the hospital thirty
days later This patient was about
thirty-Rve years old, and had been
drinking for about ten years. During
the last three years business had so
interfered with his drinking that he
quit business and drank day and
night, consuming from one to two
quarts of whisky during the twenty.
four hours. He was one of the best.
known drunkards in the city, and no
one could remember having seen him
sober during the three years preced'
ing this operation, and he was looked
upon as past redemption and abso.
mtely valueless, from business
standpoint. Today he is assistant
manager of a large mercantile estab-
lishment in this city and sober, re-
spected citizen.
Case No. 2 is that of a young den
list about thirty years OF age, lie
60,
consumed all the liquor he could get
during the day and took bottle to
bed with him at night His constant
drinking had made yeritable neuras'
thonic of him. He consulted me re-
garding the operation and was ad'
vised to have 1t performed.
He finally came to the sanatorium
and had the operation performed,
From a vagabond dentist, bounded by
dozens of people whose money he had
taken during halfsober intervals as
advance payments on work which he
was never able to perform, he Is now,
and has been ever since the operation,
a sober man, and no one hesitates TO
trust him with his work,
Case No is that of travelling
man about thirty-fve years of age.
He had been drinking at irregular in
tervals for a number of years. The
intervals had gradually grown closer
together until life became just one
long drunk He entered the sanato-
rum and had the same operation per
formed
ut is not my purpose to advocate
so grave a surgical procedure in all
cases of chronic alcoholism. but only
m those apparently hopeless cases
where everything else has failed, and
the patient is still in fair mental and
physical condition and wants to he