The Ypsilanti daily press., 1946-04-15

Ices ever rendered py medlcAi
science was its conquest Of tic
douloureaux or facial neuralgia
because Of all the ills that flesh Is
heir to, this can be one Of the most
agoniEingly painful.
Most frequent in persons be-
tween 40 and so, II causes sudden
attacks Of violent pain in the face.
Il may be so severe that victims
scream for relief, and frequent
that they are in almost constant
torture.
Milder Attacks
In others, the attacks are milder,
coming only seldom and lasting
but a short time. In either case
the attacks may be brought on by
a chance touch Of the face, or by
such movements as are involved in
eating or talking.
Tic douloureaux has been known
for centuries, though even today
its exact cause remains mystery.
Nonetheless, modern medicine has
found n way to relieve it. In 1890,
an operation for abolishing the
fierce pain Of this disorder was de-
vised - an operation, which has
since been SO perfected and refined
that II stands as q monument tn
the skill Of modern surgery.
Cutting Nerve
This operation consists m cut
ting a part of the trigsminal nerve
in the face. 1t is. Of course, a highly
delicate and skill-requiring opera
ton. Extreme care must be taken
to cut only one part Of the nerve.
Should that part which serves the
muscles be severed, parts, Of the
face will be paralyzed and facial
muscles waste away.
For these reasons, people with
the milder type of tic douloureaux
will wish for less drastic forms Of
relief and these are available in the
form of aspirin and other pain
- killing preparations. II should be
noted, however, that such things
give only temporary ease from
pain. -,
Freezing the painful area with
ethyl chloride spray is another
frequently used temporary meas
ure. According TO DR.. Wilfred
Harris of London, application Of
heat may only make bad matters
worse.
Alcohol Injections
Sometimes, instead Of resorting
to operations, doctors prefer TO In
iect the branches Of the nerve with
alcohol. This will often get rid Of
the pain, but the procedure Is
something which must be handled
only by an expert and gives only
temporary relief.
It has been suggested that at
times tic douloureauk may be re-
lieved by giving large injections
of vitamin B-complex. However,
in many instances this method Of
treatment has not been found sue
cessful.
OF course, pain in the face may
be produced b. many disorders
other than trigeminal neuralgia.
There may be some Inflammation
of the muscles, or the difficulty
may be due to decayed teeth or pos
sibly to what are known as i'm
pacted teeth, which means teeth
that have not come through the
gums.
Hence, whenever pain in the
face develops a careful study by
. specialist in disorders Of the
nervous system would appear Ad-
visable. X-rays of the teeth should
be taken TO help in making = di-
agnosis.
II It Ia found that the pain is
due to trigeminal neuralgia and
is not severe, treatment with medi-
eines may be attempted. II the
pain is more severe, alcohol intec-
tions might prove Of value and in
the most severe cases. operation
may be carried out.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
M.E.: What are the symptoms
of Paget's disease Of the bones?
Answer: Paget's disease Of the
bones is a chronic condition which
affects chiefly the skull, the spine
and the long bones in the legs and
arms. II causes thickening Of the
bones, and the large bone in the
leg known as the "femur" becomes
bent.
The disease usually begins with
indefinite pains, in individuals be-
tween so and 60 years Of age. The
arms and legs may be sore, the
pain being worse at night. Head
ache and bronchitis also occur. Due
70 the bending Of the legs, a patient
becomes shorter in height.
No treatment which will cure
this condition, has as yet been dis
covered.