A Strange Chapter.

HE enlightened people of this day, puffed up by writers and talkers who

compliment everybody in general by making statements to the effect that the present day inhabitants of this mundane. sphere are so much better educated than any that have preceded us, jump in and pass judgment on matters of which they know nothing. They do not know how little they know. They stand on the first leg of the Persian proverb: "They don't know, and they don't know that they don't know." With such ignorance to lead them they make very foolish statements and believe they are stating profound truths like an oracle.

A Kansas physician writes us that he has a relative in Florida "who is reasonably sane on most matters (?), but very nutty on christian science." He says he asked her "If her bowels were badly constipated whether she would take physic and use soap and water injections or call some lying healer to come and sit by her bed and assure her that she was getting better until she died. The answer was these clippings from the paper. The lady assures me that I don't know anything about christian science and don't believe in it for that reason. I asked her how much she knew about medicine to cause her to have no faith in it.

"I suggested that if enough of the science nuts would hold a season of prayer they might keep out the tidal waves and cyclones which devastated their beautiful country last winter."

And then, again, maybe they couldn't! The newspaper clipping that clinched the argument for the christianscienceless

its efficacy. Judges, lawyers, legislators, particularly senators, gave testimonials as to its curative powers. Now it would not cure any. thing.

Every advance in the science of electricity has been applied by men in an effort to work cures. When the Leyden jar was invented two hundred years ago, it cured thousands of patients. When Franklin discovered that lightning and electricity were one and the same thing, the electrical machines cured thousands of people. When it was discovered that magnetism and electricity were the same thing, magnets cured people of all kinds of pains, aches and disabilities. Then Mesmer said he had discovered animal magnetism and made a lot more cures. As a modification of Mesmerism we then had hypnotism, and that cured many more. Recently in New York city the police arrested a man who was curing folks by means of a radio apparatus. He was arrested because he had a police record; otherwise people would have objected. The American people have a constitutional right, you know, to be cured by anything they want to be cured by. That radio dealer was getting $100 per patient; not merely charging it, but getting it.

What does this chapter in the history of medicine mean? It means that a lot of patients are making their own ills. They have certain symptoms, and by dwelling on them they are exaggerating them. They are not ination), but it is perfectly possible to disturb imaginary ills (I do not use the word imagfunctions in the body by paying too much attention to the body. All these cures by means and methods which have no physical effect, for magnets, radio apparatus, and Leyden jars do not affect the body, are mind cures.

If you change the attitude of the patients toward themselves, they proceed to get better. The mind does not cure cancer, nor pneumonia, nor tuberculosis, although we now say that tuberculosis takes only the quitters, that is, those who will not do as they are told. The mind can produce symptoms, however. readily enough. If you eat something, and then discover afterwards that there is something disgusting associated with it, you may have nausea, or you may even vomit.

We are coming to understand mind healing now ever so much better than before, mainly because we are studying the influence of the

Dr. James J. Walsh, of New York City, a neurologist. Dr. Walsh is quoted as saying, in the Orlando Sentinel of January 3, 1927:

One of the funniest chapters in the history of mankind is that of the cures that have failed. The remedies that cured all sorts of ills for a while, and then after a time would cure no one. Take sarsaparilla, for example. About a generation ago it used to cure all sorts of people of nearly everything under the sun. It was the first nationally advertised article in the United States. Ads for it appeared in every newspaper in the land. It was sold by the gallon. We had testimonials galore as to

If you dwell on any sensations in the body, they become exaggerated and soon they may be torture.

Physicians report that over half of the patients who walk into their offices can be cured by bringing about a change of attitude towards themselves. Occupation of mind is the best ounce of prevention for symptoms of disease that I know of.

It would take a great deal of space. much time and ink to explain, to those not acquainted with the facts, the situations depicted by Dr. Walsh. Among the cures that belong in the class with

the sarsaparilla bottle, mesmerism, the radio "cure" mentioned by Dr. Walsh, fakers of all sorts and days, belongs the so-called christian science, which is one of the funniest chapters (basing this designation on Dr. Walsh's address) of "cures," which uses Christianity to entice people and "science" to fool the public into the erroneous belief that it is based on sound philosophical principles, which it is not. It should be called "eddyism," or, better, quimbyism, for the headess of it got her ideas from a man named Quim by, living in Maine.

The lady in Florida misjudges the sarsaparilla mentioned by Dr. Walsh to be medicine, whereas it is a christian science dose of no therapeutic action, and was sold by means of intensive advertising like cigarettes, chewing gum and similar unessentials.

The persons who recovered from their "ills" by such medicine were not sick, but had mental state "wished on" them or suggested to them by reading advertisements or were persuaded to take their "spring tonic" to ward off possible sickness. Some persons get sick with whatever disease they read of. These persons can be cured by any bottle of stuff that purports to be medicine or by any kind of powwowing, including christianscienceless powwowing.

Dr. Walsh is a neurologist. He wrote a book on dreams. He may have 50 per cent. of patients with imaginary ills, but more than 99 per cent. of medical men have 100 per cent. of patients who are ill and are not using any imagination.

On the statement of one physician the christiansciencelessists attempt to erect a structure showing that sickness does not exist. Those dummies take themselves too seriously. They delude themselves. Because they misunderstand Dr. Walsh's statements, they set up a straw man and then proceed to denounce their own straw man, a ghost of their own making. Many persons, with no knowledge of the facts, are not able to see the stupidity of the christianscience position and fall victims to their muttering delirium.

Since quinine. optochin and carbohydrates also possess a cholagogue action, there is nothing peculiar to or specific about cinchophen.P. J. Hanzlik, "Action and Uses of the Salicylates and Cinchophen in Medicine."

T

Fruitage of Medical Minds.

HE fruitage of progressive medicine. is but the natural result of the concentrated thinking of individual minds. And this fruitage is also unquestionably characteristic of each individual medical mind participating in its gathering. The exacting procedure of every tortured moment in each investigator's laboratory of tests and experiments was, many times, but the fruit of indecision and expectation. But the everpresent tenacity of indomitable purpose finally brought forth an abundance of useful fruitage. Wonderful, indeed, is the independent thinking of the medical mind of the ages!

Most investigators and developers of new methods of treatment of disease and of the new remedies for relief from excruciating pain and effective control of fever have experienced sensations of sheer astonishment at the completeness of the success that followed their efforts in the furtherance of medical progress.

Every investigator in the art of medicine must first learn to be logical in consideration of his efforts in behalf of the advancement of preventive measures in medical practice. To him medicine should always be a science, which should be scientifically practiced at the bedside of a patient as well as in the office of the practitioner.

But an investigating medical mind may work to a selfish end, as shown by the secret discovery of a so-called specific in the treatment of the sick. The real worker in medical research and discovery is unselfish, and is not guided by selfish ends.

Modern achievers in medical science are becoming more numerous, and fre quently a doctor announces that he has worked out a formula for either intravenous or intramuscular administration in the treatment of the sick. Thus the old system of compounding and prescribing remedies is becoming more and more useless, with the prospects of becoming obsolete in a few more years. The aged shotgun prescription will soon be placed in the museum of antiquated monstrosities of purely mental origin.

How many physicians have experimented with preparations of their own formularization? As a rule, the general

practitioner lacks the required nerve to even make an attempt to experiment with a remedy of his own manufacture. Indeed, many physicians hesitate with regard to using the newer remedies in the treatment of their serious cases. The old formula which is almost invariably the sheet-anchor in the treatment of certain cases never seems to fail to bring pleasing results, as a successful conqueror of disease. One of the difficulties of trying new remedies is that sometimes another physician learns of it and condemns the doctor that used it. When all physicians are liberal enough to respect the others' work better progress will be made.

Have you, as a leading medical practitioner in your circumscribed area of service, made any effort to determine the values of the newer remedies in the treatment of your sick? Have you added anything to medicine during the years? Have you determined to discover something, some remedy, that you can conscientiously call your very own? And will your formula prove so efficacious that it will tend to cause the discard of some of the remedies which have been in use for many years?

If not, why not? "If only-" will not help you in the least. Tell us how you feel about it. Your brief essay will be interesting, indeed.

D

A Doctor and His Newspaper.

OCTORS are good citizens in addition

to being protectors of the community's health. The Pottsville Pilot, a weekly paper published in Pottsville, Ark., is owned and edited by Dr. Emmett E. Irwin, a subscriber and writer for THE MEDICAL WORLD. It is a very interesting paper, containing the news of that town and the neighboring towns, economic articles of and for the neighborhood, a report of the October meeting of the Pope County Medical Society, splendid advice on avoiding accidents, etc. Dr. Irwin presents a very thoughtful editorial on "The Air Needs a Better Diet," in which he says:

The writer never was of a jealous disposition, either in love or in business, and we are proud of the perseverance we can display when rubbing elbows with things that do not seem exactly right. But this line of diplomacy was broken down the other night while we were doing a little radioing. The instrument

groaned, spit and sputtered ugly noises, shimmied a jerk or two, but soon became intoxicated with the ignorance and fake stuff that we had tuned it into-accidentally.

Some fellow was discrediting doctors and the medical profession in general and pinning bouquets on the chiropractor. Believe me, he had some spiel. In fact, he went to indiscreet extremes, which is a common fallacy with the entire bunch of them.

They will condemn medicine, and yet they will try to practice it in some instances. We are not without ammunition with which to fire a broadside in this article and so we tell you that Glenton Thompson, a chiropractor of Orange, Mass., was found guilty in court last June 3, of practicing medicine without license, and was fined $300. Hayden W. Allen, another. . . of the same creed, was found guilty in the same court of the same charge on June 10, and fined $500. In Chicago, on July 8th, 14 of these aforesaid chiros were found guilty of practicing medicine without license, and were fined $500 each in Judge Hamlin's Municipal Court.

We have plenty of other evidence that is a matter of record in the courts of the various states we might use if necessary, but it is not needed for our purpose. We had a school teacher named Moon, of near Booneville, Ark., board in our home at one time, who had a broken neck as a result of a chiropractor's skill. So much for that. Now the point is, that no chiropractic school is recognized by the National Council on Medical Education. and we say, never will be-and justly so, for they teach nothing of any true worth.

So we say that as congested as the air is in the broadcasting business it might be better for the listener if a better diet was served him. The rank and file of the medical profession, not only in the United States, but of the entire civilized world, fail to credit the chiropractic method with any virtue in the art of healing, and that alone ought to be enough evidence of its being worthless. The rank and file of an unsuspecting and uninformed public along these lines might thrive if a better diet than this was served them on the air.

Among the news items jocosely served were the following:

Our old friend, Ben Turner, was here for awhile last week, and of course, was full of wit and smiles, as usual. But Ben smokes. So while enthusiastically engaged in this pastime recently, he says he felt a sudden sharp and excruciating pain in the abdomen, and immediately decided he had appendicitis. The pain grew worse, so a hurried examination revealed that his shirt was on fire-caught from his pipe. In a few minutes, the attack of appendicitis was well.

Stranger in town last week "did not choose to run" while crossing the street. One less republican vote in 1928.

The Pottsville Pilot is a great credit to its editor.

One of the best things to have up your sleeve is a funny-bone.

BUSINESS TALK TO DOCTORS

These talks are intended to present in a plain and direct way the general principles of a physician's business. The investment of savings is a feature of every man's business life. A physician's work is removed from the business world, and his mind is occupied by science and the humanities rather than by business propositions. Hence physicians have not been acquainted with the wiles of trade and have been easily duped by erratic financial schemers of many sorts. WORLD readers have been constantly warned in this department and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been saved to the profession thereby. We help our readers in every way we can do so, but there is much that we don't know about the crooked businesses. We can only deal in general terms with them.

The cheapest way that we know of to get the best information about the numerous concerns that are asking the public to buy their stock is to send $10 to The Financial World, 53 Park Place, New York, N. Y., for a year's subscription. Then as a subscriber you have the privilege of using their Subscribers' Service-that is, you can write them for information concerning any offered investment, and get the advantage of their long experience and excellent facilities in the realm of finance.

EW England is building its business through research. A survey made for this purpose shows how profitable are solutions of sales, production and employment stabilization. The first task in any line of endeavor is to take account of stock. Then find the ways of moving it, how to reach the customer and interest him. New England is doing that. We have noted for a number of years that New England business houses were advertising New England as well as the firm's products. All this helps the firm and the neighborhood. Some progressive towns send out pathfinders with signsignboards, and for hundreds of miles along the highways are signboards pointing the direction to their home town and stating the distance. Travelers along the high way come to believe that the town so well advertised must be an important place, and therefore they go to that town. And thereby it is proved that it pays to advertise. Small towns can eclipse large towns in this way.

The doctor's problem is not identical with the one just described, but it has some similarity. He can take account of stock and fit himself to do the work that comes to him. He cannot advertise, but his best advertisement is a cured patient. Prepare yourself to do the things that are needed. Your community will have the same ailments as are found in other communities. Learn to treat by medicines or operations what other doctors have found it advisable to learn. Take up the work described in the meeting of

the Pee Dee Medical Society, found on Heed the advice pages 1-8 in this issue.

of the doctors who have written. Also learn from the experiences of other men, found in this publication and others. The physical culture and athletic directors have a slogan: "Keep fit." That's what we must do, and we must keep everlastingly at it to do so.

Investments.

Business in general is not very brisk. Hence investments may not be as safe as in better business conditions. Therefore think twice before venturing on any questionable buy. Consult your banker

first.

The

If you have good, safe investments do not permit any salesman to induce you to sell them and buy different ones. salesman makes a commission on what he sells to you. If he does not sell you anything he does not make any money. Therefore, look at any suggestions made by a salesman through his viewpoint before you accept his advice. You may find that he has in mind only his commission.

Still worse is to trade off good investments for worthless ones. These worthless ones are not necessarily frauds, but may be stocks or bonds of a company that is down and out or almost so.

There are also frauds to be had that are masquerading as investments. Keep your hands off of them.

Look after your practice and send out your bills. Get your money as soon as you can and do not part with it for things purporting to be investments, but

which are not.

Saving for a Raing Day.

EDITOR MEDICAL WORLD:-I was a subscriber to your valuable journal from the time I graduated in 1904 until I was stricken with para

lysis in 1920, and liked it better than any journal I was taking. But had to discontinue all journals and papers that I could do without. I want to thank you for the good advice you gave back in 1917 to '20, about buying Liberty Bonds. If it had not been for that I I would have been on charity long ago.

I went down with hemorrhage of the brain, September 4, 1920, and haven't walked a step since.

I am now 61 years old, and can't hope to walk any more. But I can warn all doctors to try to save up a little for a rainy day. But I hope there will be few that have the same experience that I have had.

Hoping you and all the profession a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, DR. J. M. MILLER.

Clyde, Texas.

fats

1928

A diet devoid of all arrests cancer growth, in the opinion of Professor Bernstein of the famous Wacketsach clinic, who said that this had been unequivocally established as a result of experiments on cancer infected mice.

The National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness will change its name, Jan. 1. 1928, to the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness.

A training school has been established at Indianola, Miss., by the International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation for the training of health officers, nurses and inspectors for the seven states affected by the Mississippi flood. While in training at Indianola, physicians will be given $5 a day to cover expenses, and nurses and others, $4. The Louisiana State Board of Health announces the need of trained workers, some of whom should speak English and French or English and Italian. The board invites applications from those interested who can give full time. Those selected will be provided transportation from reasonable distances to and from Indianola. The school is in charge of Dr. Charles N. Leach. Those who complete the course satisfactorily will be considered for full-time employment.

For the first time it has been decided in court that, if a landowner leaves ditches in a stagnant condition, so that they become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, to the annoyance of local residents, his action or neglect amounts to a nuisance within the public health act. Three ditches close to a residential suburb of Glasgow had become so encumbered with silt and vegetation that they were ineffective as water courses. The water which they should have conveyed had been largely thrown on the adjacent ground. They thus became the breeding ground of mosquitoes which bit people residing in the vicinity. The bites caused pain and swelling, and in some cases septic lesions. The court found that the ditches were a nuisance and injurious to health. The proprietor was therefore ordered to clear the ditches and maintain them properly in the future.

The expectation of a life for a child born in England today is 17 years longer than it was for a child born in 1846, according to a report of Sir George Newman, chief medical officer of the Ministry of Health. The fight against disease and early death has resulted in statistics showing that from 1846 to 1850 there were 22.4 deaths per thousand persons, and 157 infant deaths per thousand persons. From 1921 to 1925 there were only 10.9 deaths per thousand and 76 infant deaths. "These figures mean," said Sir George, "that despite an enormous increase of population, without increase of home territory, the total death rate and the infant mortality rate of the nation have been halved in four generations." The infant mortality rate was 5 per cent. lower in 1926 than in 1925. Last year the country saved 40,000 babies' lives above the annual average infant mortality calculated in the years 1901 to 1910. "This also implies a better physical condition in children from 1 to 5 years of age," Sir George reported. Diseases of the heart and blood circulation were listed as the most deadly of ailments.

Many of women's ailments are disappearing as a result of the athletic type of clothing decreed by fashion, said Dr. Paul Strassman, University of Berlin professor, at the meeting of the American Association of Obstetricians, Gynecologists and Abdominal Surgeons. "Mode rules the world," he said, "and the accident that caused strangling corsets and other torturing apparel to be thrown into the discard has been a boon to humanity."

The Foyer médical parisien, located at 10 Avenue d'Iéna, in the old palace of Prince Roland Bonaparte, was dedicated, September 29. The Foyer médical is the seat of the Association professionnelle internationale des médecins, which was founded in Paris, July 17, 1926. Twenty-two countries are now represented. The delegates are all presidents or general secretaries of professional associations or of syndicates in their several countries. The association has relations with the International Bureau of Labor of the League of Nations, at Geneva, as a result of the interest in protection of the medical profession against the encroachments of social insurance.

At a special meeting of the council of the San Diego County Medical Society, October 14, it was voted to spread on the minutes that the council considers it not compatible with the highest medical ethics for its members to publish, have published or allow publication of news items in the daily papers regarding themselves, their actions and their attainments. The council desired also to warn the members of the society that the use of advertising cards in connection with insurance work or otherwise must be limited to the manner prescribed by the code of ethics of the state association. The secretary of the society was instructed to determine just how far a violation of the code of ethics was also a violation of the state medical practice act, and to publish in the society's bulletin facsimiles of advertising cards violating the state code of ethics together with the code and an interpretation of the state law covering such procedures, if any.