60 ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS-CUTTER. CASE IX. Some years ago, Miss A. B., aged twenty-four years, was put on strict diet for her fibroid, which was of some years standing, monolobed, interstitial, hard, invested the whole uterus and extended beyond the navel. She ate beef mostly, with clear tea and coffee, and took a simple tonic. It was much against her appetite, but, as she was of few words and of a determined will and had confidence in her medical adviser, she persevered until the uterine fibroid had all disappeared, and she remains to-day in perfect health. At present, in handling these cases of uterine fibroid, both diet and galvanism are employed, the latter according to the rules laid down by the senior writer in 1871. No one can say that this case was cured by menopause, as so many medical agnostics as to the curability of uterine fibroids by either galvanism or food or both, claim. The history of the last eighteen years has proved conclusively that uterine fibroids are no longer opprobria medicorum. CASE X. In 1882, Mr. H. L. R, a small not robust man, over sixty years of age, for many years had difficult digestion, caused by over-feeding of vegetable food, so that the stomach was distended, walls infiltrated and hardened, causing a fibroid condition of the organ. When seen by the senior writer, he had been under treatment by Dr. Salisbury with hot water, chopped beef diet, stomachic medicines, etc. He ran down rapidly under the treatment, vomiting often and severely; throat sore and deglutition difficult, emaciation, weakness, some fever at times. He had fainting fits and appeared so moribund, that his wife thought he would die in her arms. His hands, feet and legs were cold, circulation feeble, stomach distress great, mind clear and tractable. There was also complete dullness on percussion over the hepatic region, the abdomen empty, walls drawn toward spine, flat, hard, not tender. He took no food by the mouth, but milk by the rectum. Was given nitric acid sponge baths, one teaspoonful to one pint of water, night and morning. Biniodide of mercury, 1-16 grain, was given twice a day; one grain of the sulphate of quinine was sprinkled once in two hours on the tongue, which was white and coated. Compress of linen cloth wet in the nitric acid was placed over the hepatic region and kept there till the skin was red. Though the vomiting continued for a little time the effect of the rectal aliment told. The administration of mercury was followed by a diminution of the liver dullness. Soon he was able to take the beef essence by the mouth; though he had no appetite, still he kept taking it and by degrees increased the amount till the essence of six pounds of beef daily was used by oral and rectal alimentation. Moving very carefully, the rectal administration was given up and the beef essence continued by the mouth. The case slowly improved, the urine showing less and less re-action of bile, the dullness of the liver running abreast, with the exception of a few days-that is, the dullness diminished with the diminution of bile in the urine. In the course of six weeks the appetite returned, former treatment was resumed, and he remains cured, 1889. CASES XI, XII and XIII, were all sick of Bright's disease in 1878, 1880 and 1884. Cases xi and xii each about sixty years of age; case xiii, 24 years old, all practically treated on same plans and all here to-day for your inspection as cases of cures of a so-called incurable disease. CASE XIV. 1876 a middle-aged mother of a large family lay sick in bed of great grief at the loss of her last surviving daughter who had died from the effects of perforation of the vermiform appendix by an orange seed. There were present cardiac hypertrophy and insufficiency of the left auriculo-ventricular valve-severe attacks of angina pectoris when it seemed that death was near. The objective lesions other than those named were retroversion, engorgement, hardening, eversion of the os uteri; and behind the uterus, four, small, hard, marblelike tumors; very severe pain, sharp and stinging in the pelvis mostly; profuse vaginal discharge, not bloody; menorrhagia. Added to this there was loss of appetite so complete that everything in the nature of food was loathed, even milk being repulsive; loss of flesh and strength, being unable to rise erect for ninety days; inability to lie on either side for most of the time; nausea; legs cold and sweaty up to the knees; oft-times great stomach distress, with wind colic; urine high-colored and of a rank smell as if putrid; bowels constipated; a terrible feeling of nervous 62 ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS—CUTTER. restleness, causing her to move her feet rapidly up and down in the bed; visitors coming and assuring her by their looks and actions that she was about to die. Added to this there was cancer in her family; her father hoving died of cancer of the stomach, and her maternal grandmother of cancer of the breast. She was put on general and local treatment, and it was faithfully carried out in connection with good nursing; but she gradually grew worse until at the expiration of three months the symptoms were so alarming that the senior writer was obliged to take strong and decisive grounds, and to tell her, "You must eat, or die of cancer of the womb. Make up your mind to one or the other." She decided to live and to eat; eating against her appetite, but with her intellect and reason and the advice of her medical attendent. She began with tenderloin steak, broiled and cut fine. The most she could take at first was a quantity represented by two teaspoonsful; these she swallowed by a desperate effort, her stomach rising against it. She was fed every four hours. Even after she had fed thus for weeks she felt she would rather die almost than eat, but battled against appetite by sheer force of will. The only way she could get down the beef was by swallowing one mouthful of lager beer, which was the only article which did not go against her stomach. The quantity of meat was increased gradually and she was fed for two months against the appetite. The nausea, however, left in about three or four weeks, at this time she was able to move some, and was placed in a Cutter invalid chair part of the day. After two months of feeding she was taken carefully to the seashore, and there she began to get an appetite, but it took one year before she could walk five hundred feet. This case did not fear death, but the form. The results obtained by food are in her case: 1. Heart normal in size. 2. Valvular insufficiency hardly perceivable. 3. Angina pectoris gone. 4. Uterine disease relieved, tumors disappeared, uterus mobile, discharges normal. 5. Urine clear as champagne, 1015-1020 specific gravity; no odor; no deposit on cooling. 6. Restoration to active duties as housekeeper and mother of the family. No medicine was given after the food treatment, save Hoffman's anodyne when she had palpitation of the heart and suffocation of breath. When we state that this case is here to-day, we think our hearers will admit that we have a living argument that we cannot ignore as to curability of chronically diseased tissues. As the time is short we will give no more histories and proceed to the closing section of this contribution, to wit: STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES OF THERAPEUTICS. All cases of serious chronic disease which come under our care are usually placed on a rigid diet of beet, from the top of the round, which is freed, either by the use of the American or Enterprise chopper, from all fat and connective tissue. The resultant is the pure lean muscular fiber which is moulded by the use of a knife and fork and broiled, served to the patient on a hot water plate and seasoned with pepper, bitter and salt. In some cases, especially of fatty degeneration, butter not allowed. Too much care can not be given in the selection of the beef and in its preparation; the hand should touch the meat as little as possible, as the human animal heat changes the character of the muscle pulp; it is an art to prepare and broil the meat rightly; some mould the cakes too finely and resultant is not good for the patient. No physician or nurse should consider it an easy thing to prepare their beef properly. It is hard work to make patients live on rigid diet, hence all the help that the art and chemistry of cooking can give, should be utilized. When the beef has been manipulated and broiled satisfactorily the result will be a cake of pure muscle, its outside thoroughly done and of dark color, on opening it, the color is reddish but not rau. Season with salt, pepper, butter, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce as desired. Exclude butter in bad cases of fatty de generation. 2. In these days of hard work and too fast living, the busy man can do well if he eats but one meat and one vegetable at a 64 ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS-CUTTER. meal. If he has plenty of time to use in laying around, that is another matter; then let him live to eat, and vegetate while doing so. 3. Attention must be paid to that great gland, the skin, by giving the whole body a daily sponge bath of ammonia and water, and once a week a soap and water bath. or woman. 4. Passive exercise by rubbing and massage must be daily taken. A great amount of force can be placed in a sick person by the rubbing of him or her by a strong composed healthy man The well person may place one hand on the forehead and the other on the ankle or thigh of the sick one. Once in a while we find a case that will not be rubbed; i. e. the rubbing instead of conferring force to the patient and soothing him, will irritate and annoy him. When the patient is improving, the riding of a bareback horse at a walk, will confer force on him. Still later on, active exercise must be taken, as walking. Riding in an easy carriage must also be used, as a means of passive exercise. 5. The patient's underclothing must be changed night and morning, and care must be taken by the physician to see that the patient is clad warmly enough. Some people do not know what is the proper amount of clothes to wear. We are 6. The morals of the patient must be attended to. often asked, "How do you make your patient eat beef? I canno: make mine." The reply is simply, "We make them." Those that some to us are usually sick enough to care to do most anything to get well. Indeed, they have been discouraged by the advices of friends and others that they could not be cured. Giving such a one the history of those that have been cured, even if as sick or sicker than the one about to commence treatment, and telling him that he is sick with a disease commonly called incurable, that he is curable, and that if he will join hands with us and work together for the desired end, then if the case consents, good can be accomplished. It is never right to say that you are going to cure a patient. Instead, let him know of his desperate condition and what his chances are. A case |