The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-09-13
MODERN TREATMENT OF
COMMON AFFLICTION

Once had a patient-but I didn't
know how to treat him, and SO he
died, of hemorrhoids.
The truth is that I didn't treat him
at all. wanted to treat him, urged,
pleaded and threatened, but no, he
would have none of it. At the time
I believed I did my full duty. I Of
fered to operate on the patient. He
feared operations. He didn't relish
the idea of taking an anesthetic. He
had a complex in respect to hospi-
tails. And he had always weathered
his ATTACKS somehow before, SO he
elected to worry along through this
one without benefit of surgery. And
l finally gave up washed my hands
Of the matter informed his relatives
I could not be responsible if the pres
ent illness ended fatally, and We all
sat back to wait We waited two
weeks. Then the man died.
Now this patient was an ignorant
man, not just ordinarily ignorant as
are most laymen, that is, ignorant of
anatomy, physiology, hygiene and
pathology. He was so ignorant that
he was superstitious and mulish; when
he got a notion into his head it so
filled his head that there was no room
left for any reasoning or intelligent
thought. So you couldn't tell him
anything that did not coincide with
his notion. The sort of ignorance that
inks.
I was ignorant. too. Had I been
better informed I might have saved
my patient in spite of himself. But
my education had been sadly neglect
ed. Nobody had ever told me that it
is feasible to offer such a patient an
alternative treatment OF course,
had heard vaguely of the practice of
certain quackS who pretended to treat
hemorrhoids successfully by mon
surgical" methods, and even to cure
the trouble without requiring the pa
tient to enter hospital or give up his
work or regular occupation for sew
eral weeks. But the fact that only
quacks or doctors Of no repute gave
such treatment sufficed to convince
me it was unsatisfactory or dangerous
Observation-Disclosures reputable ply
sicianS or specialists would use such
treatment at least in some cases.
Today reputable physicians and
specialists do give injection treatment
for hemorrhoids and other related
conditions, without OBTAINING the pa
tient from ordinary activities. without
danger, without general anesthesia,
and with uniformly satisfactory re-
suits.
Had been as far ahead of my
time in practice as some of my friends
say am in my health teaching, ]
might have offered my patient injec-
ton treatment and no doubt he would
have accepted such treatment be-
lieve it would have restored him to
good health.
Lots of people not quite so ignorant
as was my patient are ignorant
enough to die of hemorrhoids.
Here is case where the patient
almost achieved such an end:
N had suffered with internal hem
orThoids for 8 years, frequent bleed
ing and consequent loss of strength,
until finally he was unable to walk
without assistance. Hemorrhoids fire.
quently prolapsed. became strangu-
lated, bled profusely. Patients henno-
globin reduced to 80 per cent. He was
pale. Pulse rate fast even when he
lay at rest. In fact he had been un-
able to remain on his feet since the
last prolapse, strangulation and bleed
ing few days before examination.
N received the injection treatment,
two of the piles being injected the
first day (the two the doctor thought
were the worst bleeders), and two on
opposite sides the fourth day. That
was all. Two weeks later the hemo-
globin was UP to so per cent, no more
bleeding, weight increasing and
now the patient is actually grateful!