The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-09-12

as the chemical obhteration of varicose veins, the diathermy ex- tipation of tonsils, the ambulant treatment of hernia, the injection | treatment of hemorrhoids and the ambulant treatment of hydrocele, in vie@ of the progress these mod ern methods have made, constitutes q serious reflection on the compet- ence of organized medicine under the present regime. Some one else may have said this or something like it before, even some bloom ing charlatan. No matter. I say it and I mean it. It is a thought I have been mulling over in my mind for ten years. Especially when I have listened to discussions in medical societies and read the current views and opinions of recognized leaders in the profess sion. In giving utterance to 1t now I am not going off half cock ed. l say what I think, and I am prepared to hear the answer. In this as in any other subject touch- ed on here, I always give a gen. tlemanly hearing to anything any one cares to say, lay or profess sional, and l always treat such letter or communication as confi- dential. What's more, nobody can question my record about this. So 1 repeat, Pm jrepared to pay due respect to the sincere views of any reader who may see the matter in another light. My goodness, my f..t1
 take it, and indeed 1t Is due largely to their frank criticism as well as their constructive" suggestions, that this column is-aw, you finish it-Im blushing.
 It is well enough that the re- putable conservative practitioner shouud desire to be not the first by whom the new is tried nor yet the last to lay the old aside, but it is carrying that traditional spirit too far when methods are censur- ed not as bad but new.
 Scores of good doctors have ask ed me why these modern methods are not discussed in the foremost current medical publications if they are so valuable. That's precisely what ] am deploring in the present trend of organized medicine. The foremost medical journals have for years not only rejected good, hon. est, scientific contributions dealing with these newer methods, contri- buttons from physicians of excellent standing, but have sometimes des- cended to-Well, to the level of childish peevishness in refusing to give this new knowledge to their readers. In fact, they have con- sured and censored these methods not sa bad but new. That is why the inarticulate rank and file has not heard more about the new methods. And no doubt that ex- plains the naive ideas many good doctors have about these methods.
 Even the American Medical As sociation stoops to anonymity In disseminating propaganda against the ambulant treatment of hernia I-quoting well known" surgeons who evidently don't know what they're talking about but not divul- ging the identity of these "auth- critics" To name the ''authorities' l they are ringers, pliable old gentle men who are easily persuaded to secrete the particular thought re- quired in the exigency, provided they are assured nobody will ever know they did 1t.
 QUESTIONS and ANSWERS.
 Dynamite.
 Take a stick of blasting powder (4O9o dynamitc), remove the paper and rub some of the dynamite on the skin of your wrists over the pulse, If you want to find out whether the skin absOrbs anything. (R. O
 l Answer--TlI take you. Glad to have that experiment tried on me, provided 5 have entire control of the air breathe while the dyna- mite is being applied and while we walt io goo tt'e gs'tiif. Nitrogivceriu