The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-11-09
Treatment For Allment Which
 Do Not EXlNt2

Treatment For Allment Which
 Do Not Exist?
 Correspondent took the wind out of my sails the other day by beg ging me to give sufficient notice, before l do away with the giraffe, 50 that hc could take his children to see one. This request was based on Q recent talk about "colic" in infants. Vantage out.
 Probably thousands who read this are under treatment for an ailment which does not exist. 1n every com- munity there Is on irrigation plant or colon filling station where creuu- lous victims of intercostal neuralgia are treated" for "colitis' which does not exist except the mechani- col irritation set up by the vicious treatment" Secretion by excessive mucus B the inevitable result of such unnatural treatment, ana the victim, duly Impressed by the excess of mucuS, sucks with the treatment" indohnitely --a kind Of vicious circlo which iS flnO for the proprietor of the station.
 Addressing an academy Of medi. cine, c protessor of surgery n c medical school said that in patents referred to him for operation, with the diagnosis of chronic appendi- citis, he finds tho pain ana ten- derneSs In the lower right quadrant are duo to neuralgia In 08 per cent Of cases, and In the other 2 per cent duodenai ulcer, stone In kid- ney or similar lesion. In other words the concept of chronic appendi- citis" is unsuhstantiated In prac- tice.
 Even in cases of acute type sent to this same distinguished surgeon for hurry up operation he finds In over half ot them that the trouble is neuralgia, and ho does not oper- ate.
 Thee are annoying facts-for the Brass Surgeons Of America. But In my opinion there are far too many operations being done and the Brass Surgeons have oversold themselves to the gullible public, and 1t Is time that the truth be told.
 It Is l. fairly common occurrence. during or shortly after an attack ot tonsilitis, say, for the patient to suffer pain In the lower right quad- rant of belly, tenderness, rapid pulse, perhaps some slight fever and even vomiting. These are char. acteristic signs or symptoms of acute appendicitis. Yet the patient may not have appendicitis at all, for all of the symptoms may be due to the tonsilitis and intercostal neuralgia. The tonsillitis may even be responsible for the leucocytosis or increased white blood cell count. To do q hurry up operation in such with the appendix is as grave 6 mistake as 1t is to operate for ap- pendicitis and discover that the pa- tent has nothing wrong with the appendix but is coming down with pneumonia instead.
 After all, 1t takes more skill and more courage NOT to operate in some cases than 1t does to operate. The best surgeon is the one who does the least surgery.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 No Feeling in Internal Organs If the internal organs are not i supplied with sensory nerves, how do you explain sharp pain in the stomach. enough to keep one awake at night? (M. O.
 An5wer-Referred pain. The cause or source of trouble may be in the appendix, in the heart, lung, even | in the roo of Q spinal nerve high | in the back Alarm signal sent along sympathetic Unconscious and involuntary from internal or gan switched over by-pass where sympathetic and spinal nerves tsen- sorry and motor) xchange flores near spine. You feel the pain iil the abdominal wall, the belly, not in the internal organ. Anesthetize the wall, and the internal organ Imay be cut stitched ssc. without