The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-07-06

ShlrmlShes as well as great Dat
ties won against the enemy and
sometimes a succession of these
little advancements is made in one
field over long period of time so
that when the smoke lifts for a
moment we find we have really ac-
complished much more than we
supposed.
A very good example of this
kind of advance is that made in
the field of varicose veins. AS l
look back at the time when was
an inferno in a Chicago hospital in
1907 and 1908 and remember how
varicose vein cases were handled,
] cannot but be astonished at the
difference between then and now
and the greatly improved results
now.
One Of the troubles the varicose
vein patient had in the old days
was that he couldn't get anybody
to think his troubles were real or
serious. They were called a minor
malady. Well, they we're minor to
everybody but himself. Then in
the old days the surgeons didn't
have much faith in their treat
ments themselves. The patient
had to submit TO a quite extensive
and complicated piece of surgery
and over half the time after two
or three months of invalidism he
was no better off than he was be-
fore.
Sclerosing Veins
Now after making little i'm
provements here and little ad-
vances there the whole problem
has cleared up so that his physi-
elan can really promise the vari-
cose vein patient something def
mite and without any long period
in bed either. This comes down es-
sentially 70 the discovery Of prac-
teal methods Of sclerosing veins.
An illustration may help US to
understand the real difficulty
shout varicose veins. Whoever
has gasoline enough nowadays
and takes even q short drive along
streets left neglected in wartime
has the picture before him. He
wants 10 go TO Jones hardware
store. All right he used TO drive
down Chestnut Street. But nova
days the surface Of Chestnut
Street is full of holes and rough
spots on the surface, and he has to
20 slowly. He learns to make little
detours and he gets to Jones all
right by going along Maple
Street
Well, the veins are merely nigh
ways and every blood corpuscle 10
a kind Of motor ca. In the course
of time the inside Of the main vein
up the leg-Chestnut Street-gets
rough and traffic is slowed up.
Then the valves in the main vein
break down. The blood could get
up the leg by going along the
other veins-called collateral cir
culation in doctors language -
and these other veins not having
been subjected TO as much traffic
are still in good repair. But the
blood not being endowed with sem
tient judgment can't choose the
sensible course, so il goes up the
old main highway because hy-
draulic pressure pushes it into
that channel.
Solution Injected
The only way TO stop il is 70
close the highway. And that 10
what sclerosing the veins does,
and that is what the modern treat
ment Of varicose veins is. The
sclerosing is done with a solution
injected into the vein which COM
pletely destroys the lining and
makes the vein shrivel and grow
into a fibrous cord.
q The little by little improve
ments that have been made in this
procedure consist mostly in devils
ing of better and better and less
and less painful and dangerous
sclerosing agents. During recent
+ years organic soapy solutions
have almost entirely replaced
other sclerosing agents in the
treatment of varicose veins.
Possibly the greatest help in the
application Of these newer meth
DDS from the patients standpoint
is that he doesn't have TO go to
bed. The tests to determine wheth-
er a given case is suitable for in
lection treatments and also the
treatments themselves are given
in the doctors Office and do not
interrupt the patients work.
The small superficial varicosi-
ties that occur mostly in women
who have borne children do not
need treatment imperatively, but
can be sclerosed il desired for cos