Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-15

A remarkable series OF experiments
in which secretions from the teeth and
tonsils of patients suffering from
wide variety of ailments, ranging from
ulcers of the stomach to encephalitiS,
or sleening sickness. was injected into
the blood stream of rabbits, rats and
guinea pigs producing the same dis
eases in the animals was described
hast night at "A joint meeting of the
medical and dental societies of the
District OF Columbia by Or. Il. G..
Rosenow of the Mayo clinic Of
Rochester. Mimi
The result of the experiments was
cited as conclusive proof of the far
reaching effects Of local infections.
such as come from the roots of teeth
tonsils and the sinus passag on the
body
Results Obtained.
Dir. RoSenOw made no effort TO iSo-
late the microbes in the pus before in
iectinS il into the animal, but trusted
to the selective ability of these minute
forms of life TO attack the same area
in the body of the animal which they
had attacked in the human patient,
and in a great majority of the cases
this result was obtained.
Less positive results were obtained
when cultures of the death dealing
streptococci were made before injec-
ton, the probability being that they
lost some of their virulence when
placed in extremely favorable condi-
tons for growth.
The danger to other parts Of the
body. most notably the heart. from in.
fected teeth and tonsils. long has been
empha sized both by physicians and
dentists. but DR.. Rosenow empha sized
that there has been A good deal of mis-
understanding Of the subject. Teeth
have been pulled needleSsly and others
have been drawn without removing
the focal infection responsible for the
illness, he said
Pus taken supcrficially from the
teeth or tonsil. he said. seldom can be
made to reproduce the illness. 1t must
come from the depths of the infection
which too often is not touched in eff
forts to remove it.
Asks Cooperation.
DR. Rosenow pleaded for greater CO.
operation between physicians and den
lists in the interest of their patients.
He regretted the practice of physi-
clans who. suspecting that the cause
of illness may lie in the teeth, simply
advises the patient to go to your den
tist," have the teeth X-rayed and have
those removed which show infection.
In great many cases, he said this
procedure. would bring no beneficial
results, because the average mechani-
cal dentist is not sufficiently skillful TO
get out all of the focal infection.
In such cases. he said. the physi-
should consult over the X.ray plates
and study history of the various sus-
pected teeth. and agree upon a pro-
cedure for the operation that would
remove the source of infection.
DR.. Rosenow said that a great deal
of damage had resulted from the prac.
tice generally followed by dentists
few years ago, but now being ahan-
doned, of devitalizing teeth by taking
the pulp from the root canals and
Milling with gutta percha or some
similar substance. He advised an end
to this practice until a better tech.
nique for its performance had been
reached, and he doubted il this is
possible. The success of the process.
he said, demanded a perfect cleaning
of the root canal and then a perfect
filling. which in the past has; proved
beyond the ability of the most skillfuI
dentists. and in the hands 4of many
practitioners has resulted in bungling
as revealed by X-ray pictures.
Blamed for Deaths.
A great many deaths, he said
doubtless, have originated in infected
teeth. or tonsils which never were sus-
pected, because the post-mortem
operator failed to go deep enough.
DR.. Rosenow brought new light to
the physicians of Washington on the
dreaded encephalitis, or sleeping sick
ness. brain malady which either re-
suits in death or leaves the patient
with a serious nervous arrangement.
This malady has been the subject of
extensive experiments at ST. Eliza
beths Hospital. where a serum has
been prepared which has given bene-
ficial results in many cases. DR..
Rosenow also has prepared serum at
the Mayo clinic which has worked
favorably.
Pus from the teeth or tonsils of
human victims, injected into the
brains of rabbits: he showed, produced
similar condition in the animals.
although normally they are free from
encephalities. 1t was necessary tc
make the injections directly into the
brain. he said. because the nervous
system is SO well protected by nature
that any effect from an injection into
the blood was unlikely.
1t is too late TO remedy some of the