The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-02-04
I EETH
And TOnSiIS Are Real Cause
Of Rheumatism
(Kansas City Starr

81 used to have neuralgia so much
in the top of my head" said the den
lists patient, "but it's all gone now"
"Are you sure it was neuralgia?" he
asked
"Why, of course" she answered,
ut came and went just like neuralgia
and 1t was just that kind of pain"
"But it's stopped since that bad up
per molar on the left side has been
treated and filled?" queried the den
tist.
"Why-why-so it has!" exclaimed
the patient. you don't suppose 1t was
that tooth?"
II don't suppose it was neuralgia"
he laughed. You'd be surprised how
many cases of neuralgia get cured that
way. Also rheumatism"
"Oh, say, now, doctor that's too far
fetched. You can't tell me that bad
teeth cause rheumatism"
Nevertheless" answered the dem
tist as he selected a wicked looking
drill, numerous cases of rheumatism
have been cured by attending to the
teeth An eminent specialist in rheu-
matism who happens to be friend Of
mine tells me that rheumatism can
almost always be traced to two caus-
es-bad tonsils and bad teeth.
81 remember the first case Of rheu-
matism l cured, though did it un-
knowingly.
"a man patient with a badly aching
tooth came for treatment. He told me
he had been having rheumatism very
badly in his right arm for almost a
month-that 1t hurt so he was hardly
able to raise his arm. A couple of
days before his tooth had begun aching
and it ached SO horribly that day he
had decided to risk the bad weather
to go to a dentist
81 had to drill pretty deep into the
tooth-it was right lower molar.
Suddenly my patient started violent
ly by Jimmy he cried, That nerve
must go clear down to my elbow. It's
made my rheumatism worse
81 thought at the time it was mere
ly sensitized nerve, but, strange to
say, after the tooth had been cleaned
out and made well, my patients rheu-
matism disappeared entirely and he
has never had it since. He'd never had
II before that one attack, either
Sometimes teeth that only need
cleaning give one touch of rheuma-
tism. You may feel it in the shoulder
or the knee, or even in just finger
or toe Some people think they have
gout, when the truth is they ought
to have their teeth cleaned.
Neglected or diseased tonslls are
great source of rheumatism. | had
patient-a young woman from the
South-who had been afflicted for
years with the worst kind of rheuma-
tism. She coul scarcely walk. 1t was
almost impossible for her to bend her
knees. She came up here for visit
and her friends induced her to con
suit a specialist.
He told her the first step was to
have her teeth and tonsiIs looked af.
ter She came to me for her teeth and
| found them in splendid condition
Nothing wrong there. Then she went
to a throat specialist and he found
her tonsils In dreadful condition. Well
the long and short OF the matter Ia
that when the throat specialist finish
ed her case, which finally meant cut
ting out the diseased tonsils, her rheu
matism was cured, and she hasn't had
any since. Her friends tell me that
she skips around her home these days
like q six-year-old."
well, declare" remarked the wo
man patient. "Here all my life IL
thought rheumatism was caused b,
dampness and cold and draughts ant
| such +"