The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-10-25
FINDS INSANITY DUE
TO INFECTED TEETH
DR.. Cotton Reports Discovery to New
Jersey State Board or Charities
and Corrections
CURES FOLLOW EXTRACTION
Removing Affected Tonsiis and Clear
ing UP Digestive Tract Are Part
of New Treatment.

Trenton, n. J., Oct a4.--Discoveries
sanity by extracting infected teeth di-
vnfErd Try nm x=Tay examination, re-
moving infected tonsils and clearin g
up the digestive tract are set forth in
a report based on the results of eleven
years of experimentation submitted to-
day to the state board of charities and
corrections by DR.. Harvey A. Cotton,
medical director of the New Jersey
state hospital for the insane at Tren-
ton. Referring to the results of his
experimental work, DR. Cotton states:
I'VE are able to cure early cases in
a very short time, prevent the disease
from becoming chronic in large
number of cases, and restore certain
number who have been in the hos
pital for as long as nine years. This
we are doing daily. We have found
that infection of the chronic type and
the resulting toxemia are the basis
of many mental disturbances These
chronic infections are known as TO-
Ical infections and may be present for
Years without their existence becom :
ing known to the patient. and until
quite recently the physicians and the
dentists have been ignorant Of their
existence.
we are practically prepared TO
state that this infection originates IN
the teeth, as we find the same organ
ism in the abscessed teeth, tonsils
stomach. and duodenum. and in no
case have we been able to eliminate
the teeth as the origin of the infac-
tion We have had five acute mania
cal cases who died within short
time after coming to the hospital.
Formerly the cause of death was CON
sidered due To exhaustion from eN-
element. but a meteorological study
In these cases showed all the organs
practically infected. We feel that we
have established a Very important tact
as applicable to general medicine as
to nervous and mental diseases that
as. that the injection originates in the
teeth. and after some years nfects
their organs through the Emphatic
system
TN making routine examinations OF
the blood we found a great number o.
iour patients who gave a positive re
action. showing that they were suffer-
ing from a chronic infection. Al h1sr
the teeth and tonsiis were thoroughly
Investigated. In many cases. the m
fected teeth were extracted. produt-
ing era NlDg LtShftS IA Sc'+'F 49, -
but in the ma jority no improvement
was noted Some twenty-five Of tacs@
leases had Their infected t3nsltN re
moved end again we noted marked
| Improvement and even recovery IN
! one half of these cases, The next
! point of attack was the e4stro iutes-
final tract. for many of the patients
I showed evidence OF chronic CASTRO
intestinal infection. Finally, in April
| Of the present year, we were able TO
utilize a method of accurately deter
| mining the infection OF the stomach
land duodenum by making direct cuI-
! lures from these organisms.
! In his report on the dental work,
iDr Cotton describes several causes OF
infected teeth. pointing out bad dental
work absolute neglect of teeth. and IN
some cases infection inherited from
! parents. He recomm ends Il campaign
/ of education in regard 10 the care and
treatment or the teeth, so that ply
lsicians. dentists and the public at large
would realize the danger OF infected
faea ,sflop ,a;lisA gas 2alrcapcisg n@lSeais
and mental diseases, hut in undern''h
! ing the general health. AS to the
I treatment. DR.. Cotton says:
IAN infected teeth are extracted and
infected tonsils are removed. AS eX-
Iamples of the success OF the treatment
three cases of perfectly different men
tai conditions were cited.