The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-09-15

of the population. And If you are
selective and refer only to people
over forty years of age the proper
ton is much higher. Some stats
ties show that in women over sixty,
one out of four ESQ have gall
stones.
The reasons for this frequency
are not far to seek. The gall
bladder is one of the bayous, or
backwaters, Of the body. 1t is a
little sac in which bile rests quiet
ly most of the "a hours, until the
bile is needed in fat digestion and
then the gallbladder empties, or
allows the bile to escape into the
intestine. The bile contains in
solution substances which can
crystalline and form stones.
This does not happen unless there
Is central foreign body around
which to crystalline. The nucleus
of the gladstone is usually a con-
glomeration Of bacteria or mucous
of disquamated cells, the products
of Inflammation. Since all the blood
from the intestines goes to the
liver first, in the course Of 40
years a good deal of this blood
must contain bacteria. This lodges
in the gallbladder and forms the
nucleus for, first. inflammation
and, second, gladstone formation.
Q. E. D.-many people over 40
have gallstones.
Treatment Of Gallstones
The treatment Of gallstones
would seem to be fairly obvious
matter. We can detect them with
a very high degree Of accuracy
and frequency. The dye test with
the X-ray is very dependable. So
we are able to tell they are there.
Surgery has reached such a state
Of perfection that gallstones can
be removed completely and finally
with a minimum Of risk. They
cannot be dissolved by any medi-
cineS taken by mouth, or in the
veins. Surgery is the only way.
But human nature being what
II is and Nature in general being
what it is, everybody who has them
does not necessarily run to have
them hacked out on the slightest
provocation. For one reason many
Of them are silent and give no
trouble. For another, even if a set
should fare up occasionally and
go on the rampage, medical treat
ment can control them pretty we'll
and keep fellow reasonably COM
Portable for years. For the final
reason only q very small oropor-
tion Of the population really
yearns for surgical operations. To
say the least they do not conduce
to saving money or freedom from
discomfort. And ! may say Lam
quite sympathetic to that attitude.
/ am not at all hardboiled towards
people who are trying to avoid
surgery.
One may reasonably ask, how
ever, whether the patient Is run
ming any grave risk if he elects
10 keep his gallstones a while and
give up his surgeon. This is es-
pecially pertinent now that hos
pital facilities are so taxed and
patients should consider whether
their complaints are sufficiently
serious to warrant their occupying
a hospital room.
A Boston surgeon, DR.. Bearse,
has reviewed his experiences with
his gladstone patients with these
questions in mind. He found that
a consecutive series of about $50
patients had had gallstones for
over FIVE years. About three-hfths
had no complications and seemed
in quite good health. Two-fifths Of
his patients had developed COM
plications more OF less serious:
the duration Of harboring gall
stones in this group was about
seven years.
OF course the occurrence Of COM
plications - jaundice, intractable
Indigestion, prostrating attacks Of
eolic-should call for operation, in
spite of all objections. This re-
port concludes, however: "Oper-
alton may safely be deferred in
patients with gallstones so long as
there are no complications and
provided the postponement does
not impair the patients resist
snce."