New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-18
MIR. Barker and His Remarkable
Manipulative Surgery

an immense amount Of ill-feeling by doing
what is really unnecessary"
This speech Of the eminent surgeon
called forth reply from Barker himself,
which was printed in "The Nineteenth
Century" In this article the so-called
'bone-setter" threw down the gauntlet 70
the professional surgeons in the following
fashion:
81 say confidently that surgeons cannot do
the work do for the simple and sufficient
reason that their training has not given
them the knowledge OF the manipuistive
methods used by me. They are not dealt
with in the textbooks. There is not a single
professor in any school Of surgery in Great
Britain who has such knowledge Of them
as would enable him to impart adequate
knowledge of them TO his Students
And Barker proceeds to quote letters
from patients and from surgeons them
selves to prove his claim. Some Of the
letters quoted appeared last winter in
THE Medical Press and Circular" in the
course of an extended controversy over
Bankers methods. Several were from
army officers who had been cured Of knee
joint troubles and rendered fit for service
again. The captain Of prominent foot
ball club wrote as follows:
Nearly eight years ago | took one Of tho
best known players in the country 10 Mr..
Barker, suffering from displaced knee car
tilage, as months Of treatment from our best
surgeons had produced no definite result, and
apparently his days as well-known athlete
were over. Mr.. Barker performed
a manipulative operation, removing in a few
minutes the difficulty which had refused 10
respond to ordinary surgical treatment after
long trial"
A letter from DR.. Herbert Terry was
also given, with details Of several remark
able cases treated by Barker, some Of
which he turned over to Barker himself,
and he drew the following conclusion:
Judging from my own personal expert
ence, this method is a great advance on
anything generally known or taught in the
profession"
Another physician, DR.. C. NJ. Wheeler,
reports a cure upon himself for an in
jured knee. After detailing various at
tempts to get relief from other surgeons,
he writes:
Finally, came 70 London, and, as six
orthodox practitioners, including myself had
been unable to cure the knee, ! decided 20
consult Mr.. Barker. This gentleman found
deranged knee cartilage, and performed
manipulative operation under gas In about
fortnight from the date Of the operation
was able even to hop on the foot Of the af-
fected leg. That Mr. Barker gets a
perfect and permanent result in these cases
when they have been condemned as incura-
bio except through a cutting operation is
fact now too well established to refute."
At the conclusion of the controversy in
THE Medical Press and Circular" It's
editor, DR.. Leonard Williams. summarized
its results in these terms:
"On this point there can be no manner o.
doubt: The witnesses who have testified in
our columns, among whom are surgeons or
the greatest distinction, constitute weight
and volume Of evidence which 70 rs quite I'M
possible 10 cast aside
He also declared that "the testimony in
Barker's favor is quite overwhelming"
Yet Barker is apparently still offering
ito demonstrate his system 10 the medical
schools Of the kingdom" and 10 devote
his services gratuitously 10 the relief Of
recruits"