The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-14


few years or SO, new theory dawns
gloriously like a new star upon the
medical horizon. Sometimes it is
a constructive theory, such as that
which claims that if we only con-
sumo enough vitamines health Is
ours, but more often than not it IS
destructive theory which attacks
some obscure and apparently unim-
portant portion OF the human anato-
my as being responsible for all the
physical ills OF the race.
Thus, a hundred years ago, an
excess supply of blood was sup
posed to be the cause of all COM
plants, and the way to cure any
thing and everything was by the
bleeding process. In more recent
times, therapeutical fashions have
changed with greater rapidity and
the role of anatomical arch villain
has shifted from the appendix to
the tonsils and from the tonsils to
the teeth. Now it looks as if it
might be enthusiastically passed. on
to the ductless glands, but for the
present it is still securely in the
possession of the teeth.
1t would be interesting to know
how many million teeth have been
sacrificed during the past few years
and why, unfortunately no com
plete statistics are available.
Personally, nearly everyone of cur
acquaintance has contributed at
least one strong, full-grown tooth
to the cause of health, but we have
yet to hear of any swift and mirac-
ulouS cures. Three years ago, when
the theory of focal infection was
still comparatively new, we remem-
Der that We were greatly impressed
by the enthusiasm of a woman dent
ist who had just discovered that
her sister had three or maybe four
infected teeth. The girl had had
long series of tubercular glands,
and here, of course, was the cause!
The guilty teeth were quickly
pulled, the family breathed a sign
of relief, and the girl gradually i'm
proved in weight and strength,
Here" thought everybody, lis liv-
ing proof of the new theory" But,
not long ago, we learned that the
young woman was again in a hos
pital suffering with another tuber-
cular gland.
Teeth and Nerves.
In another case. suburban resi-
dent afflicted with an oTerabun-
dance of leisure and a nervous NAL
ady had his teeth x-rayed. hoping to
find that an infected tooth was the
cause of his disability. The reve-
lations of the x-ray we1te LAost
satisfactory They not only showed
that he had an infected tooth. but
that it was a tooth with wayward
tendencies that had grown upward
instead of downward in its extreme
youth and was now lodged behind
his nose. He remembered, he told
the dentist, that the tooth had never
appeared when it was expected and
that after a few years of patiently
waiting he had acquired d pivot
tooth as a substitute. He immedi-
ately underwent an operation and
the offending organ was removed.
after which, he was, assured, his
extreme nervousness would disap
pear. But it didn't, and now he is
suspicious of all medical theories.
When it was suggested that he try
psychoanalysis. he replied bitterly
that he was through experiment
ing with bunk"
The majority of laymen. including
proba bly, even this disappOint 81
hypochondriac, are able 10 see the
danger of focal infection. of course,
and are only too anxious to have
it removed But they are losing
their faith in tooth pulling as a
panacea for all Affections, from
20 fa7ciIftiS
Among the various ailments at
tributed to infection in the canals
or around the roots of the teeth,
which the X-ray alone can reveal.
are tuberculosis. diseases of the
kidneys. rheumatism. partial blind
ness, partial deafness. neuritis, cpl
Iepsy, sciatica. persistent headache. !
general lassitude, insanity, some
forms of heart disease such as en-
docarditis, which is Inflammation OF
the membrane lining the heart, and
blood clots, which may plug the
interior of blood vessels, causing
paralysis and death"