The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-23
BLAMES BAD TEETH
FOR MUCH INSANITY
New Jersey Hospital Expert
Cures Many Cases by Re-
moving Focal Infections.
ENDS HIDDEN TOXEMIAs
Announces Results After IL
Years. Experiments-"Old
Story" Says Jelliffe.

TRENTON. y. j.. Oct. 22.--The posi-
bility of curing a large number of cases
Of insanity resulting from infection Of
the teeth, tonsils or the gastro-intestnal
tract or all three. is announced In re-
port sent by DR.. Henry A. Cotton. med
ical director OF the New Jersey State
Hospital for the Insane, to the State
Board of Charities and Corrections. II
10 based on the results OF experiments
extending over eleven years.
I'VE are able to cure early cases In
very short time, prevent the dseas Sc
from becoming chronic In a large num-
Der Of cases and restore "A certain num-
Der who have been in the hospital for as
long as nine years" says DR.. Cotton.
This we are doing daily. We have
found that infection of the chronic type
and the resulting toxeuria are the
basis OF many mental disturbances.
These chronic infections are known as
focal infections and may be present for
years without their existence becoming
known to the patient. and until quite
recently The physicians and the dentists
have been ignorant OF their existence.
Originates in the Teeth.
I'VE are practically prepared TO state
that this infection originates in the
teeth, as we find the same organism IN
the abscessed teeth. tonsiis. stomach and
duodenum, and In no case have we
been able to eliminate the teeth as the
origin OF the infection. 1t would APP
pear that the infection Of the stomach
and the duodenum was In the wall Of
these organs and that the organism mi
grated from the teeth to the lymphatics.
IN tai inf tha
whole system
I'VE have had five acute maniacal
cases who died within a short time
after coming to the hospital. For
merry the cause of death was considered
due to exhaustion from excitement, but
meteorological study in these cases
showed all the organs practically in
fected with these organisms. We feel
that We have established very I'm
portant fact as applicable to general
medicine as to nervous and mental dis
ease. that Is, that the infection origi-
mates In the teeth. and after some years
infects the organs through the lymphatic
system.
I'm April OF this year We were able to
utilize a method Of accurately determin-
Ing the infection Of the stomach And
duodenum by making direct cultures
from these organisms. This method was
first used by DR.. Martin w. Rehfus OF
Philadelphia in the ordinary CASTRO
intestinal conditions. Since we have
adopted this method we have examined
27a cases and found that the stomach and
duodenum. or in some cases both, were
Infected with the Comedian King diplo-
coccus. and In large number OF cases
IL was also found that virulent colon
bacillus was present.
IA
been able TO definitely prove the or
garism responsible for the CASTRO intesti-
nal infection. and by frequent irrigations
of the stomach and duodenum. combined
with treatment by vacclnes OF the Con-
nellan-King diplococcus and colon bacil-
luz. we have been able to clear UP a
large number OF cases"
Qualifications by DIR. JelIfne.
DIR. s. Ely Jellfre, ono OF the best
known authorities In America on insan-
i;y. said that any statement that all
forms Of insanity can be cured by ex-
traction of teeth or removing of local
areas OF infection Is incorrect
1T is an old story in medical circles"
he said. "Of course there are certain
forms of insanity which can be cured by
such extraction or removal OF infection,
but II is untrue to make the general
statement that all cases can be cured in
this way"
This was also the opinion of DIR. S L.
Jewett, head of the psychological ward
o; Bellevue Hospital. DR.. Jewett said
that II has been known for a long time
that some cases can be cured in this
manner.
For instance. we had number of
cases OF insanity AS a result Of the in
fuenza epidemic quite a large number.
This was due TO the local Infections
caused by the disease, and as soon as
that cause was removed the patient re-
covered, The number OF cases that can
be cured by the removal OF infections
due to teeth. tonsils or other such causes
Is very small, however"