Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-24
BY OWEN l.. SCOTT
(Special Leased Wire to lie Jcurnal)
(Copyright, 1921

BY OWEN IL. SCOlI
(snecial Leased Wire to Tie Journal.)
Copyright, 1871
ROCHESTER, Mimi, May IL
Relief for sufferers from Little's
disease, spastic paraplegia and some
obscure Parkinsonian syndromes-
ailments arising from inability to
control muscular action-is in sight
from the Mayo clinic here.
DR.. William j. Mayo, renowned
surgeon, has set a corps of research
snecialists to work testing the find
ings of young Australian physician
that hold out hope for thousands
suffering from certain muscle all
ments.
Many World war soldiers, VINO
have lost control of their limbs
through brain injuries children SUIT
fering from restricted muscle ac-
tivity, due to Little's disease, and
persons with Parkinsonian syn
dromes, form of palsy, Will nave
opened for them an avenue OF re-
lief, should the present confirming
research show the discoveries to be
effective.
Visiting Australia recently, DR..
Mayo became acquainted with the
work of DR.. John ]. Hunter, OF the
University of Sydney.
Here in new country, little
known for scientific research, this
twenty-six-yea old doctor had work
ed out new theory of muscle con-
troll, which pointed to a cure for mus
Gle diseases.
Young Nations Active
The noted American surgeon be-
came interested in DR.. Hunters md
ings, as we'll as other medical lnVes'
LEGATIONS of marked Importance, that
he found among the antipodes, re-
port of which he has just brought
back to this country. DR.. Mayo
noted that in the youngest Of Anglo
Saxon nations, Canada and Austria
liza and New Zealand have made the
most noteworthy discoveries in med
ical science of the past few years;
insulin as a remdy for diabetes, by
Dr. Banting, of Canada, and now the
cause and possible cure of muscle
ailments by DR.. Hunter.
To make his findings, Dr. Hunter
hada problem in nerve control to
solve, involving the control by the
Attention was called by DR.. Mayo,
in his address before the American
College of Surgeons in Chicago, Oc-
tober %, 1923, to the fact that rs
per cent of a persons energy is used
for functions of the body over which
the individual has no control-so
called vegetative functions-and that
only 25 per cent of a persons en-
hn NV, hi ca1f
through nervous control. This 25
per cent control has mostly been
gained since man grew away from
the sea and gradually developed a
brain to supplement unconscious
functions.
AS mentality became stronger, the
senses of taste, smell, hearing and
sight developed, and with their de-
Velopment came a connection be.
tween mentality, or the conscious
nervous system, which had been out.
side mans control.
Nerves Mimic Diseases
Through this nerve communicat.
ing system from the brain and spinal
cord to the internal organs, through
the sympathetic nervous system
people sometimes develop functional
disorders which often mimic symp-
toms OF organic disease, and herein
lies much of the success of the cults
and quackeries.
They are introduced and perform
what the affected people believe are
cures, thereby gaining credence of
others.
1t had always been supposed that
messages on the human telephone
system ran only from the conscious
cerebro-spinal system to the uncon-
scious sympathetic nervous system.
Scientists did not consider that this
telephone plan worked both ways ;
That muscles under conscious con
troll not only received messages from
the conscious mind, but also receiv-
ed and distributed impulses from
the conscious nervous system.
Now comes DR.. Hunter, who has
found that every muscle fibre is con-
nected with the sympathetic nervous
system, as we'll as with cerebro-
spinal system, and that Muscular
tone depends upon this fact. Pre-
viously it was believed that the vol
untary movement of muscles that
direct human activity was not close
ly concerned with the sympathetic
nervous system. Under certain con-
ditions, not well understood, the
muscle tone or message sending
would work irrePularly. as in Lit
ties disease, srastic parapleGia and
Parkinsonian syndromes. This ir-
regularity was the cause of much
Of the disability, according to Dr..
Hunters theory.
Experiments Made
DR.. Hunter working with Dr.
Royle, the orthopedic surgeon. came
to the conclusion that if they could
cut these communicating nerves be-
tween the cerebro-spinal and the
sympathetic systems, the operation
would have some effect in stopping
the jerking of muscles. Experiments
on goats were successful and have
been followed by forty or fifty OPP
erations on persons with various
kinds of muscular disturbances, with