The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-06-26
SCIENTISTS ARE
F|GH |VG new
NALADY
Housewives Rib" is Latest
Affection to be Found
BY Physicians
BY GERALD MILLER,
International News Service.

BO0IONp MASS, June 20. ~ mo
ancient ailment conquered by the
medical profession, new one
arises to take its place. The
seasons latest discovery is sub.
costolgia, or housewives rfb."
With all the progress science is
making to save humanity from
death rate runs madly on at the
same rate. In exact proportion as
the death rate from disease de-
creases, the accident death rate In:
CreaseS.
In spite of these depressing reve-
lafions, however, members of the
American Medical Association, who
met here, were not without a
Brighter, more hopeful aspect.
The first successful medicinal
treatment of tuberculosis was ex-
planned. So, also, was the benefit
cial effect of prohibition, which, nc
cording to Doctor HI: HI. Drysdale,
Of Cleveland. has "mitigated the ma
tional sin of overeating and conse-
quently prolonged life."
Dyspepsia and dandruff, ductless
glands and the timely theme CT
mental hygiene needs of univar-
stty students" were dwelt on in the
sections of the convention.
Accidents Increase.
The epidemic of accidents brought
on by the increased strain Of mod
ern living conditions was charac-
tsrized as "a huge problem in pre-
ventive medicine"
In epidemic Of injury has sue
ceeded the epidemic Of injection, .
declared Doctor j. Howard Beard,
of the University of Illinois.
Suicide and whooping cough
death rates are now equal. The
same number of people were
killed in railroad accidents last
year as by scarlet fever in 1920.
dents equal those from diphtheria
and scarlet fever combined. Acct
dental deaths in industry equal
the number of deaths from measles,
whooping cough and diphtheria. In
some of the more sanitary cities
exhaust gas from automobiles
causes more deaths than the ty.
phoid bacillus"
The disease of subcostolgia was
explained by its discoverer, Doctor
Marshall Clinton, professor of
surgery in the University of Buff
falo. He said:
Many women and some men
bear wound stripes in the form of
appendicitis scars from operations
which should have removed mere
~ the tip Of the rib and not probed
the appendix.
The housewife bending over the
kitchen sink or washboard Is a.
likely subject of subcostolgia. If
she is right handed and, conse-
quently, bends a little more to.
ward the right side in performing
her household tasks, she is likely
to feel sharp pain in that side.
This leads to a suspicion of APP
pendicitis. zs@
Nerve Affected.
What has really happened Is
that a nerve trunk between rib and
hip rib has been squeezed, result
Ing in extreme pain when pressure
Is applied under the rib. Corsets
afford no relief. The remedy is
simply the removal of a tip of the
RIB to lessen pressure.
Persons with short waists or
long ribs are particularly suscepti-
bic. Left-handed people do not run
the same risk of being given an APP
pendlcitis diagnosis as right-handed
= people"
After three years of research and
experimentation with tuberculosis in
the rabbit, Doctor H. j. Corper. di.
rector of the research laboratories
or the National Jewish Hospital for
Consumptives, in Denver, an
nounced that he had discovered that
q hypodermic injection of carbon
INTO the veins and hence into the
lungs was a very good remedy for
tuberculosis, which brought about
the first cure by medicine which
has proven successful. 1--WE have
discovered, Doctor Copper said,
that 8 per cent of carbon dioxide
inhibits the growth of tubercle
bacilli and 1 per cent kills the
bacillus.
Explains tuberculosis.
This discovery explains the
prevalence of tuberculosis in the
lungs and the comparative i'm.
munity of certain other organs to
the disease, since it is well.known
fact that in the lungs carbon
dioxide is exchanged for oxygen.
The liver, which has the highest
supply OF carbon dioxide in the
body. has been found less susceptible
to tuberculosis than other organs
where the supply Of oxygen is
higher. Experiments to test what
proportion Of carbon injected into
the veins reached the lungs showed
that they received smaller amount
than any other organ"
Childbirth, which is both pain.
less and conscious and, therefore.
more revolutionary than the mere
use Of anesthetics to deaden labor
pains, was discussed by Doctor Fl.
T. Cooke, of Los Angeles. The
Cooke treatment consists in block
ing with injections of cocaine those
abdominal nerve fibers which are
the seat of labor pains. This treat.
ment, it is explained, permits the
patient to retain consciousness.
since only those nerves in which
pain is conferred are deadened. The
customary local anesthetic would
deaden the entire area where pain
is and not merely the nerve cen.
ters. BY the Cook treatment there
is no risk of retarded birth, and the
patient does not need to be relieved
OF pain by unconsciousness.