Palisadian., 1923-03-16

|
performers" Of Northern Africa has
been tried in France with excellent re-
Suits according to American Medicine.
1t consists of the rapid practice Of deep
breathing, and minor operations are
performed painlessly at the moment
the rapid and deep breathing produces
dizziness in the subject.
Once again nature gives proof of
mans bungling methods and reaffirms
her superiority, this time revealing
herself to Doctor Achard of Marseilles,
and proving once mores that whatever
man may achieve by laborious effort,
he will find better equivalent in ma
ture, says the writer. The problem of
anesthesia for minor surgical opera
tions is more complex and delicate
than would appear at first blush. Such
an anesthetic must be rapid, sure and
harmless and must leave no i'll effects
after the operation. Numerous prod
ucts and many methods have been at
tempted up to the present, but without
much success
Discovers Secret.
tensive study of the practices of the
fakirs and miracle performers Of
Northern Africa, particularly the tribe
of AiSsaOuaS, who drive nails through
their hands or even into their skulls
without evincing any sign Of pain, has
captured their secret-a principle Of
nature hitherto either urrevealed or
disregarded. In studying the methods
of these fakirs it was observed. that
before attempting their feats they in
dulged in preliminary exercises which
it was at first thought was merely
meant to impress their audiences, but
which now appear to be an indispens-
able preparation for their performance.
The fakir would first take deep
breathing exercises, his respiration in
creasing in rapidty and in depth, until
finally he reaches state bordering on
what may be described as a trance.
This trance, it was discovered was not
feigned but actual. Once he has
reached this stage the fakir is ready
for his stunt He will drive a nail
through his palm or through the flesh
Of his upper arm, and in some in
stances he has been known to drive a
nail into his SKULL in each case without
drawing blood and without giving any
evidence of pain.
At first it was believed that the fakir
was merely hardened by experience
and training, like our own Indians, to
suffer pain without revealing it, but 1t
was soon learned that he really felt no
pain at all, that his trance was form
of self-induced anesthesia, and that the
preliminary deep-breathing exercises
acted as an anesthetic which lasted
Just long enough to permit the particu-
lar stunt, and then wore off without
leaving the fakir any the worse for his
experience.
Deep Breathing Exercise.
Drawing his own conclusions from
these performances, Doctor Achard be-
gan series of experiments in minor
operations, all confirming the fact that
'deep-breathing exercises before the op-
Grafton, properly conducted, acted as
an anesthetic. In the French maga-
zine Cavoir, DR.. Henry Reynis gives an
account Of an operation performed on
him by Doctor AchaPd by thfs method
The operation in this instance was the
extraction Of an inferior molar, the
root Of which was infected.
Doctor Achard asked his patient to
begin by taking few deep breaths,
then ordered the acceleration of the
breathing. Doctor Reynis followed
these instructions and at the end of one
minute began to feel dizzy. At that
moment the extraction was performed,
rapidly and dexterously, without the
patient feeling any pain whatever.
Following the extraction, Doctor Rey-
mis- felt his dizziness increase, his
limbs feeling heavy and his brain
blank so much so that he had to lie
down. Aftera few minutes rest, how
ever, this condition disappeared rap
idly. Examination Of the patients
heart showed no harmful effects.
In giving an account of the opera
ton, however, Doctor Reynis suggests
| that "this method should not be prac-
| ticed without consideration of the pa
| tient's age and heart condition"