The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-26


ENoR four hours yesterday DR.. Fried
rich Franz Friedman stood by an
L operating table in the Hospital for
DeformitIes and Joint Diseases, at 1913
Madison avenue, administering his treat
ment for tuberculosis to patients-prin-
cipally children-suffering from the "ex-
ternaT' form of that disease.
Just before the lunch hour there was
brought into the operating room on the
fourth floor of the hospital an ls-year-
old boy who had been treated by DR..
Friedman at the office<'of DIR. George
Mannheimer, Al West Fifty-first street,
week ago last Saturday. He is suffering
from tuberculosis of the knee joint, and
was shown to the physicians present as
an example of the effect of the Fried
mann treatment.
1t was explained by DR.. Friedman
that there had been a marked decrease
In the swelling of the joint, nearly an
inch and that the alienation OF the PAIN
and the increase In the power of motion
had been correspondingly great. AS the
boy stood ON a chair the Joint was closely
examined by the physicians present ~
connection with the medical history OF
the case.
While the doctors eagerly listened to
the history of the case and made close
examination of the affected joint. none
expressed an opinion. With one accord
they agreed that the time since the treat
ment had been too short to render the
case a test, even according to the most
sanguine claims of DR.. friedman.
While the clinic held by DR.. friedman
at Bellevue, where he treated pulmonary
cases in which the patients were adults,
was held in amphtheatre with all the
professional dignity usually incident TO
such occasions, the clinic held yesterday
was by far the most appealing and pa
thetic held since DIR. Friedman landed
in America.
With a few exceptions. the patients
were children, some scarcely more than
babies In arms. Out of the 50 cases, 20
had been brought in" All Of them were
charity cases. In every instance the
mothers of the younger children had gone
to great pains to have their children look
as well as possible.
The little girls had been primped and
| their hair beribboned until they looked
as though they had been prepared for
party. 1t was a particularly pretty lot
of youngsters; but on the faces of many
| there was the mark of suffering and on
| the faces Of all there we're signs of fright.
| Six in row the little patients were
seated on an operating table in the small
room in which anaesthctics are usually
administered. Here they sat bolt up
right, their deformed legs dangling over
the edge of the table, dazed by the noise
and confusion around them.
| From the operating room would come
the word 'Next!' a youngster would be
picked off one end of the line and an
other brought in by nurse, to maintain
the supply. Parents were not allowed
to accompany their children after they
had been prepared for the treatment. and
in the lower rooms anxious mothers
paced the floor, waiting for the time
they would be permitted to see their chill
dren after they had been treated.
| The first case was that of man of 40,
whose ailment had been originally dag
nosed at other hospitals>as infiammatory
rheumatism. Motion in the joint pro-
duced pain, and to demonstrate to the
assembled physicians the sign of acute
tenderness the affected limb was pressed
causing the patient to cry out. This was
a case of knee joint tuberculosis. The
treatment of this case. with explanations
of the history, consumed about 20 min
utes.
]
| Then beautiful 14-year-old girl was
wheeled into the operating room. This
also was a case of knee-joint tubercu-
losis. Stiffness of the joint had begun
only four days before she was accepted
as a patient by DR.. friedman, three
days ago.
Before DR.. Friedman administered the
treatment he announced that the veins
in this case were indistinct and that he
might have trouble in locating a vein
| for the intravenous injection. He found
less trouble than he anticipated and the
case required less time than the first
one.