The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1939-08-19

persons employed in many il
lists find it necessary to disco
these new disorders.
How He Entered Medicine.
DR.. Lawless. a Negro. was born
4s years ago in New Orleans. the
son OF a Congregational minister.
He studied at Talladega college.
Talladega. Ala. where he did paint
ing and decorating and watched
over herd OF prize hogs TO earn
his way. He rode into medicine,
he says. on the back OF hog. be-
cause he first developed his inter-
est In that field while helping a
physician mot veterinarian care
for the hogs in the herd that fell
III.
After being graduated from Tai
ladega college. he attended the
University OF Kansas at Lawrence,
which he stumbled on while work
ing In the western wheat fields.
Two years later he came to Chica-
go and entered Northwestern uni
versity. where he decided TO spec
ialize in skin diseases. He was
graduated from the medical school
there in 1919. and did post gradu-
ate work at Columbia university.
Wherever there was an out
standing man in what l wanted !
went to him." Or. Lawless says.
Teaches At Northwestern
He returned from Vienna In 1924
and became an Elizabeth J. Ward
research fellow at Northwestern,
resuming the teaching he began as
senior student. He has been
teaching there since.
During DR.. Lawless' years Of
study and practice he has, he
thinks. seen or treated persons
800 OF the 365 or so known skin dis
eases, both here and abroad. He
says, rather unhappily. that there
are some South African diseases he
has never seen.
His Chicago patients. who num-
her more than 10000 for the last
fifteen years. have included some
with unusual diseases. Ten Of,
them had leprosy. and one had an
East Indian disease known as
leishmaniosis. Tropical diseases
are more common in New York or
Paris than here, he says.
Medical Errors Corrected
He cured one hoy In the east OF
leishmaniosis who had been mis-
tolar1., froato1 for t,,ko~o,,foef~ -
the skin for more than a year. And
a south side Chicago doctor. who
had been treating patient 'for|
syphilis, was so surprised he faint
ed when Or. Lawless informed him
the patient had leprosy.
People come TO see him from all
over this country. as we'll as from
the West Indies, Cuba. Panama.
France. England. Haiti and British
Guiana. Surprisingly enough, none
OF the patients from the tropics
suffered from tropical diseases.
In one case a man suffering from
what he had been told was an in
durable skin disease in the region
OF the lower spine was cured when
DR.. I.awless observed his sitting
posture. The patient weighed
about go pounds. and due 10 his
habit OF sitting incorrectly literal
ly had worn the skin off the ar
fected region.
The Cure Is simple.
II told him 10 sit up" DR.. Law
less says, "and the trouble disap-
peared"
Other unusual skin troubles were
traced to % allergy To Ink in
Sunday paper. (2) sensitlveness to
medicine used TO remove weekend
hangovers. and go constant rub
bling by the rear pockets against
the hands of man who hid them
there because OF a previous blcm-
ish.
DIR. Iawless says there are two
main types OF skin disorders. those
representing poor general health
and those coming from an outward
irritant.
Many skin diseases In women he
blames on The fast pace OF modern |
life. including smoking. drinking
an trying to keep up with the So
cial whirl. Diseases of this type
have increased greatly since the
war, he says.
Many Diseases Battling
There also are diseases whose !
cause Is unknown and for which !
no general treatment can be pre-
scribed. What will cure one will
aggravate another. Then. too. some
peoples skin is affected by various
clothing materials. or even nv sun
light. In some cases death has re-
suited from an overlong exposure
to sun.
DR.. 1.awless has discovered one
great drawback to his chosen pro-
fesslon. The results are too eass
to watch.
"All the work Is on the outside.
he says smilingly. III the work
doesn't improce your skin you can
see II the next morning in the mir
ror."
Personally. Dr. Lswless keeps his
skin In shape with soap. water. and
a little alcohol. The latter. he SAYS
is 10 be applied externally.