The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-08-02

LII. ClenQenlnR Will answer
questions of general interest
only, and then only through
his column.
skin, the mouth cavity, the cornea
of the eye, etc, which has been
denuded of its membranous cover
ing.
Theoretically thinking of all the
things which could cause such a
thing, there is first mere ABRASION
scratching off the surface with a
sharp instrument or burning, in
GLIDING chemical. burns by I've.
Second, infection by germs can
eat off the upper surface of a
membranous tissue. Third, poor
circulation in the affected part, as
is the case in ulcers Of the skin of
the legs from varicose veins. And,
fourth, a cancer can appear as an
ulcer.
Applying this theoretical rea-
son to ulcer of the stomach we see
Immediately that some of the
causes do not operate at all-can-
Ger, for instance, and abrasion
with sharp instrument. An ulcer
of the stomach is not cancer. Some
doctors have tried to prove that
circulatory disturbances in the
stomach wall, such as embolism,
create a spot of lowered local re-
sistance, but the evidence is very
saaky.
Cause of Ulcer
This leaves us with infection
which is a possibility, and the eat
ing away of spot of the surface
of the stomach by a chemical
which we always have present in
the stomach secretions in the form
of hydrochloric acid. There used
to be an old quiz question the
physiology teachers propounded-
"why doesn't the stomach digest
itself ?" They should never have
asked it because they didn't have
a very good answer to it-they
said the life in the stomach wall
prevented it from being digested.
But as a matter Of fact, the stom-
ach juice may sometimes digest
the wall Of the stomach, the result
being an ulcer.
Especially If the stomach juice
is increased in amount and
strength of hydrochloric acid! And
here is where the war enters in.
One Of the variations of this acid
theory is that it is pointed out, Ill
Ger occurs in a nervous type Of
individual, high strung, thin and
subject to nervous influences.
Worry or excitement starts his
stomach hydrochloric acid to flow
ing and this opens up his ulcer.
Cases Among Soldiers
II so we would suppose that the
stresses Of combat service would
cause q good many soldiers, sailors
and marines to come down with
stomach or duodenal ulcers. And
we are beginning to get reports
on such occurrences. Although l
must say the number of cases re-
ported is not as high as you would
think if the nervous theory Of
causation is 1000 true.
In a South Pacific area, during
a period when strenuous fighting
was going on, about one per cent
of all the patients admitted to an
army hospital had ulcer of the
stomach or duodenum. About half
of them, however, had history
of previous attacks. These had
an old ulcer which opened up un-
der nervous stress.
Most ulcers Of this type get we'll
very promptly under treatment
Most Of them are not in the stom-
ach but in the duodenum or intes-
tine just outside the stomach.
They are located on spot where
the stomach in emptying, squirts
a stream of juice out against the
wall. The tendency is for such
alterations to heal.
Mayo Clinic Treatment
The important feature in treat
ment has recently been re-em-
ployed by Smith and Rivers of the
Mayo Clinic. They reject all the
faddy treatments which have
arisen so frequently and been as
frequently rejected in recent
years. The fundamental prin-
ciples of treatment are:
Rest and elimination, so far as
possible Of the nervous factors.
Diet-bland. Avoid sweet, sour,
spiced and fried foods. Depend
upon milk and cream mixed-half
and half-lean meat, eggs, pureed
vegetables, toast, fruit juices,
cream soups.
Naturalization of excess acidity
by soda and calcium carbonate or
aluminium hydroxide.
Elimination Of infection.
Perseverance, in treatment
Make taking milk and cream at