The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-01-05
VICTIM OF THROMBOANGIIT1S OBTITER.
 ANS GIVES UP CIGARETTES

correspondent OTerS hlS experience:
 q should like to give your reader E. c. F. the benefit of my experience suffered with thromboangiitis obllteranG and was obliged to undergo ampuation of one leg above the knee. Later the disease set in the other leg and there was n serious gan grenous condition of the toes. 1 was again in the hospital and the question of another amputation was seriously considered.
 At that stage was recommended to Dr - and I went under his care. lie absolutely forbade mo to smoke and emphatically stated that he would refuse to treat mo unless gave up smoking en- tIrely. l had been very heavy cigarette smoker and found it very hard to cut it out, 50 1 cut down to Just q few smokes a day, but the doctor still Insisted that n few smokes were just as bad as forty a day and said he would retire from the case unless 1 promised to give up all use of tobacco. I finally gnve 1t up entirely and after two weeks found 1t no hard ship.
 '"The doctor began giving me injections of saline solution. AS result the gan grenous condition presently cleared up, and have had no symptoms of the dis- ease since that time, about two years ago,
 "l am convinced that while smoking may not be dangerous to most people, there Is n minority of people who nre sus- ceptible to thrombo -angiitis obliterans and for these the habit of smoking brings on oil the dreaded results of the dread dis case, 50 that it Is absolutely necessary for such persons to completely and suddenly give up the hnbit
 "I hope this recital of my experience may be of help to I1. G. r. who asked for your advice.
 "Very truly yours
 D. M. s." From his surname l infer that D. M. $. is of Jewish origin. 1 think it was Dr Willy Meyer of New York who observed that thron DO .a . giiis obliterans was almost exclusively linn. iicd to young Russian Jews who smoked clg. arettes excessively This was some twenty years ago and the observation applied to New York city.
 Other physicians with large experience in dealing with this painful and disastrous mal- ady have expressed the conviction that cigar cite smoking In the main factor, though they all agree there Is some inherent susceptibility concerned, as n contributing cause.
 l doubt whether any good can be done by the earlier signs of the trouble here further than to say that there are usually cramps or aching in the calves, with some blush swelling of the feet or legs often lightly ascribed to "rehumatism' or perhaps to 'fall- ing arches"
 No matter whether you are male or female young old, Russian Jew or Shanty Irish you. pretty certain to suffer some patho- logical consequence from excessive indulgence in tobacco. cigarettes. cigars. pipe, chewing oi snuffng.
 Why make a hog of yourself? Why become il slave to habit? Why spoil the pleasure you might enjoy for years and years without in- jury to health if you would just use reasonable self control, moderation, temperance?
 As D. NJ. $. says, there is a minority oi people who are susceptible to thrombo-an giitis Likewise I believe minority are sus- ceptible to mouth or throat cancer and min orlty susceptible to pseudo angina or real an gina pectors. and n minority susceptible tt duodenal ulcer complex, and minority sns ceptibe to amblyopia tpartial blindness) We'll leave arterlosclerosis out of the present discussion because have insufficient ev dence about that.
 In another talk we'll discuss the pleasure and comfort tobacco gives the person who uses 1t temperately.