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Show tetania (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) FOLLOWING A DIET A man of 62 in good health had a hemorrhage from the stomach, was rushed to the hospital, and given two blood transfusions. The blood trans- 1 ' Soy! fusions increased the richness of his blood and he left the hospital hos-pital in 10 days feeling feel-ing well and strong. As he was leaving, he ' asked the surgeon sur-geon about his diet. The surgeon had the nurse give him the diet list to be followed fol-lowed by ulcer patients pa-tients but said that Dr. Barton he expected to oper-I oper-I ate on him in a month's time. "Why do I need an operation, now that my ulcer is healed? Will I not be safe from another perforation if I follow the diet?" The surgeon told him in a matter of fact tone that he always operated on patients past 60 years of age who had a perforation of an ulcer. "If you were younger I might take a chance but I have found that practically prac-tically all these cases past 60 have further perforations, and the transfusions trans-fusions become less successful each time and these patients die. By operation op-eration the affected tissue is removed re-moved and at this age they are not likely to grow a, new ulcer." "If I follow the diet will I be safe from perforation?" "You would be safe if you followed the diet but nobody follows it completely, com-pletely, even if they try, because ' they find themselves at times where they cannot obtain the proper diet, and they eat improper food which brings on the hemorrhage." The patient was so anxious to avoid operation that he faithfully followed the prescribed diet, increased in-creased his weight to normal, and the surgeon has told him he can take a few chances with his diet because be-cause it is now three years since he had the hemorrhage. Why am I recording this case? I am recording it because it shows that even after the age of 60 when an individual has not the resistance or rallying powers of former days, he can avoid perforation of ulcer with the necessity of operation by faithfully following what is called the ulcer diet anywhere, everywhere and always. The important point is to avoid fried and greasy foods, pepper, mustard mus-tard and other condiments, and to cut down on coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco. |