The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-14
FASTING ADVISED AS
A DIABETES CURE
DIR. Allen Doesn't Yet Call It q
"Cure," but Says Results
Are Very Favorable.
OTHER DOCTORS AGREE

In an article on Prolonged Fasting
in the Treatment Of Diabetes in the
October issue Of the Americas Journal Of
the Medical Sciences DR.. Frederick NJ.
Allen of the Hospital Of the Rockefeller
Institute for Medical Research says that
immediate results Of the treatment. as
observed up to the present, "have APP
peared uniformly beneficial" He adds
that reports from O number OF clinicians
experienced in the older methods agree
that these results under the new method
are more than favorable"
DR.. Allen does not call his discovery a
cure but he is convinced from his ex-
periments that patients need not die in a
''diabetic coma" He believes that the
downward progress Of the disease may
be definitely prevented by avoiding over
strain OF the weak function. just as in
animals" Diabetic dogs were used in
DR.. Aliens original experiments.
Or. Elliott p. Joslyn, discussing Pres
ent Day Treatment and Prognosis in
Diabetes in the same issue. says
Thanks to DIR. Frederick u. Allen. We
no longer nurse diabetics-we treat
them"
DR.. Allen summarizes important fea-
lures of his new method Of treatment as
follows.
Features Of the treatment.
The principle tentatively suggested
that increase OF weight and metabolism
increases strain upon the internal pam
create function and reduction OF weight
or metabolism reduces strain upon the
internal pancreatic function Is new, and
II it proves valid will be a useful general
guide In treatment. The animal expert
ments likewise are entirely new. The
general policy of insisting upon prompt
and lasting freedom from slycosuria and
acidosis In all cases of diabetes even the
severest. Is "A new one. In addition the
main features wherein the proposed
treatment differs from the previously es-
tablished methods may be summarized
under the following Ave headings:
1.-THE first two represent differences
merely Of degree, in hat the proposed
treatment is more radical than the old.
| namely. first, an initial fast sufficient
TO clear up g~lycosuria i'm any case and
then one or two days longer second, a
subsequent diet such as 10 keep glyco-
suria and acidosis permanently absent.
with as many interspersed fast days as
necessary for this purpOse The third
and fourth features represent differences
not In degree. but in kind. and are dia-
inetrically opposed TO the prevalent
teachings. that is. the third opposes
the idea that the diabetic should b. kept
at the highest possible level Of weight
and strength and that gain in weight
is synonymous with Improvement. and II
substitutes for this the plan Of keeping
most severe diabetes Intentionally and
permanently at II sufficiently low level
Of weight and m~etabolism in the belief
that return of symptoms and downward
progress Is thus prevented,
Fat Feeding Opposed.
THE fourth feature stands opposed
TO the doctrine that fat feeding does
not a~ppreciatively influence diabetic gly-
cosuria and hat c~alories lost should
be replaced by additional Galleries in
the diet. preferably In the form Of fat"
DR.. Allen says that the ffth feature
consists merely Of incidental matters.
such as diet, &c.
LAS respects the remote results a nd the
influence of the ultimate p~rognosis Of
severe diabetes. larger experience must
decide he says. "A question is here
involved whether diabetes Is an inher-
entity progressive disease or whether IT is
the simple weakness of a metabolic func-
ticn. Among the patients treated thus
far. during a variable number of months
in hospital and at home. spontaneous
downward progress has not yet been OBJ
served"
Dr. Joslyn says in his paper: 1T is
only fair TO give Allen the credit OF.
first, to see the therapeutic significance
of inanition upon n severe case of dla-
betes second. to prove upon diabctic
-. 49,.
der them sugar free. and. third. 20 have
he courage Of his convictions and apply
this principle To human beings. am
coming to feel that coma no longer rep
resents the elimination OF the dlsea Sc.
but that 1t is An avo!dable accident"