The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-01-09
Dim J. PRACTITIONER, A. M
M. D., L. I. A. r., ETC.

Correspondent writes from . fac
tory town:
My doctor says must have
my tonsils removed by cutting.
asked him II 1t Is not better to
have them burned out by cleo
tricity and he said they could
only remove two-thirds Of the
tonsils that way on account Of
some Of the tonsils being behind
pillar. Then he said the burn
ing sears some pus in and there
was more danger Of infection.
I take it the correspondent refers
to diathermy extirpation Of the ton
sils. There is no burning" in that
method.
No doubt DR.. John J. Practitioner
still harbors vague notion that the
diathermy method is merely kind
o. modern revival Of an ancient at
tempt to dispose of infected tonsils
with the electric cautery-that was
burning with a vengeance, and not
a few victims suffered the i'll conse-
quences of such crude maltreatment
before the method was discarded.
But I do not hesitate to say that
any practitioner who tells you the
diathermy method, In competent
hands, is less effective or less salts
factory than the guillotine and snare,
the standard tonsillectomy, in COM
petent hands, is entitled to the de-
gree granted above.
This practitioner. apparently, labors
under q misapprehension concerning
the diathermy method, for which We
may thank the apathy and supine-
ness of the rank and file Of the
American Medical Association (of
which, remember, I am . member or
fellow.
For unfortunately for the dignity
Of the American Medical Association,
an employee of the Association saw
fit to publish rashly condemnatory
editorial articles about the diathermy
or electro-coagulation method before
he quite grasped what it was all
about. This hasty condemnation, this
going off half cooked, worked much
harm for lot Of the plodding prac-
titioners Of the country took it as
authoritative" though, heaven
knows, he is not and was not an
authority, for he had never used
the method In practice and in all
likelihood had never seen it used by
q competent physician. The truth is
that at the time Of the editorial out
burst-partly against me personally
(for promoting the new method in
my health column) and partly against
the method-the difficult technic OF
6iathermy extirpation of the tonsils
had not penetrated the wilderness
much farther west than New York OF
possibly Pittsburgh. Within year
however. the brighter boys saw the
light. Then the volatile editor slip
ped another little editorial comment
on the method into the official organ
for the medical association. and this
time praised it with faint damns
Thus his policy continued I'm.
daunted and today depraves thu
national medical organization like .
carcinoma.
A few years ago ! printed . seriel
Of articles telling the unflatterin(
truth about tonsillectomy-and N
physician ever ventured to question
my assertions Of fact or to refute m,
criticisms Of that crude operation
Why not? Because at that time 81
tho good doctors were busily learning
the difficult technic OF the dia
thermy method. and all the bad ones
the old fogies, the brass throat spe'
cialists were wise enough to preserv'
silence. Silence. you know, Is the las
refuge Of q charlatan.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Very Good Honey
Please tell me how much honey ma,
be heated without injury. I assum
the heating In cookery detraets from
the wholesomeness Of food. wv. Il
d.
/ AnSwer-Proloneed cooking destroy
/ vitamin q in fresh vegetables or Il
milk. But II your diet includes Z fai
variety Of fresh raw fruits or relishe
that need not worry you. Heatih
does not render honey less whole