Salt Lake Telegram | 1932-06-03 | Page 8 | Daily Health Service

Daily Health Service Use of Maggots for Jor Injections Infections One of Oldest Methods I B By DR MORRIS ORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal of the American MedIcal Medical Medi MedI- cal cat Association and of the Health Magazine The suggestion made in newspapers some years ago that long persisting infections of bone called litis were iere being benefited by the ap Ip- application application ap- ap of live maggots aroused va various various various va- va rious reactions among readers In Inmost Inmost Inmost most ins instances the response was laughter if not disgust Nevertheless the famous father of modern modem surgery Pare observed rapid healing of such wounds among soldiers soldiers sol sal diers as far back as the sixteenth century century cen cen- tury and Napoleons Napoleon's own surgeon Baron Larre Larrey made a observation observation observation on soldiers injured in Syria I The late Dr William S. S Baer Bacr of Johns Hopkins hospital finally re renewed renewed re- re this observation during the World war and when he returned home began experiments which have been continued since his death Now physicians in the Edward Hines Jr hospital devoted to the care of veterans have reported their re results results re- re suits in cases casc in which healing was brought about b by proper surgical at attention attention at- at combined with the use of maggots maggots mag mag- gots gals in approximately DO 90 per cent of or orthe the cases The physicians emphasize the necessity ne nc- ne- ne first for surgical removal of dead tissue and material At each dressing the wound is washed out and live maggots applied Moreover believing that the Important Im im- im substance might be chemical or biological rather than that of the the living maggots themselves extracts were iere made of dead maggots and this material used also in the treatment of the patients It seems possible that the method may also be of value in treating other infections At the same time physicians in Ohio have used the Baer method of tre treatment with maggots on 26 cases two Twenty of or these they report have healed successfully The Ohio physicians also emphasize the importance importance importance tance of thorough surgical cleansing of the wound prior to implanting the living maggots Here is a method of historical in interest interest in- in terest proved by modern science to have de definite value in the control of ofa a stubborn infection