The Colorado statesman., 1914-12-05
SUNLIGHT AND TUBERCULOSIS.

SUNLIGHT AND TUBERCULOSIS.
Referring to certain worms and jel-
| ly-fish which contain chlorophyll, seek
sunlight and give off oxygen in the
light, but soon die If kept in the
dark. Bunge writes: 1T follows that
a complete antithesis between inter-
change Of force and matter in animals
and plants does not exist; and it will
be henceforth impossible to separate
the physiological chemistry of the
vegetable from that of the animal
world. The more our knowledge of
each section of science advances the
more the two becomes fused to-
gether." There is a fundamental law
that prevails throughout all depart
ments of nature that nothing can
come into being that is not demanded
by the conditions at the time. There
is, in other words, reason for every
thing, and investigation to the point
Of understanding invariably proves
every phenomenon to be very simple.
Ordinarily the sun is looked on by
the average individual with interest
only when it is undergoing eclipse.
but the botanist who has reduced
plant culture to almost a science
knows that the sun is the most vital
factor in life. The botanist knows by
experience that If his plants do not
receive sufficient sunlight they become
weakened and readily acquire all sorts
Of fungous diseases. There is no mys-
terry about it at all Also he knows
that If the soil conditions are not nor
NAL sunlight alone will not protect
his plants from diseases. All the con-
ditions must be in harmony for nor
NAL results.
Possibly taking the hint from the
botanist. Professor Poncet of Lyons
the first person systematically to en-
ploy heliotherapy. method of treat
ing surgical tuberculosis by means of
direct sunlight-began to use the di-
rect sun rays in the treatment of
tubercular joint infections in 1892 and
not only used the method freely in his
personal practice, but impressed the
value of solar exposure upon all his
pupils. In 1899 the definite statement
was made that Professor Poncet be-
lieved the beneficial effects from the
exposure of tubercular infections to
solar rays extended not only to tuber-
cular bones, gangiia and the like, but
also to tuberculosis of the internal
organs. 1t is interesting here to note
that DR.. Alexis Carrel began his sur
gical studies as inferno under Professor
| Poncet and it is not unreasonable to
| infer that the influence of Professor
| Poncets initiative may have spurred
| Doctor Carrel into original work.
Doctor Roller, Swiss physician of
Leysin, became an ardent advocate
Of the treatment and secured marvel
GUS results from the use of direct sun
rays on tubercular infections in pa
| tients among the snow covered peaks
of Switzerland
Doctor Oelsnit of Nice reports the
treatment useful in tuberculosis peri
tonitis. Doctor Emmett of Philadel-
| phia and Doctor Snequireff of Moscow
| report excellent results from sun rays
in acute muscular rheumatism. Di-
| rect sunlight is declared to be bene-
| fetal in infected wounds, and Doctor
| Aimes of Montpelier reports that the
| treatment hastens the formation of
scar skin on burns, which usually heal
very slowly. Further confirmation of
the results of the treatment comes
| from Doctor Bardenhauer of Cologne.
Doctor Bardenhauer had long been a
champion of the knife in external
tuberculosis, and in 1911 he undertook
IN nNafo,- Dal1 Arf
ments to test their value. The re-
suits obtained were so satisfactory
that he introduced the system of
heliotherapy into his hospital prac-
tice.
Doctor Hinsdale, writing in the In
terstate Medical Journal, describes
the treatment as follows: The pa
tient is clothed in linen or white fan
mel. according to the season; he wears
white hat and is protected from di-
rect sunlight on the face by a screen
and wears smoked or yellow glasses.
And now comes the peculiar and in
teresting method of the exposure. 1t
makes no difference where the dis
ease is located, whether in the hip,
the spine or the cervical glands, the
invariable rule is to begin with the
feet. The next day the legs will oe
exposed; the third day the thighs.
On the fourth day the abdomen is ex-
posed; the fifth the thorax. Finally
on the sixth or seventh day he ex-
poses the neck and head with careful
supervision"
The treatment is reported to be
very effective in tubercular hip, joint
and knee diseases, especially in the
latter. because in such cases not only
is the infection destroyed and the
wound healed, but the joint remains
mobile, a result always lacking