A SURPRISING CURE.

Evening Star, Issue 15064, 21 December 1912, Page 6

A SURPRISING CURE.

A surprising case of smallpox treatment was brought to the attention of Dr J. E. Laberge, chief medical officer of the infectious diseases department of Montreal. The child of a local professional man was stricken with smallpox, and fearing that the disease would infect the baby, two years old, he immersed the infant in a bath heavily charged with cow manure. After thoroughly bathing and rubbing in this preparation, the father, without drying the child, wrapped it in a woollen blanket, in which it remained until the following morning. “It is a most surprising thing,” commented Dr Laberge, "to think that an educated man would bo guilty of such nonsense. I do not believe that such treatment has any virtue iu it whatever; indeed, I am qu'ta sure that this manure in any form has never been employed in the science of medicine, and, therefore, is worthless. At present the mother and three children are in the smallpox hospital. The father did not take the bath. In reply to the question as to how his department heard of the case. Dr Laberge said : “ A nurso who went to this man’s home delected an overpowering stench there, and asked a child whom she was nursing what caused it. The child then told how her father had given Ih© baby a bath in the wav mentioned, and had a box full of th© medicine in the house. When the nurse asked, the father if this were true, he replied that it was, and that he believed oow’s manure the best cure for smallpox in existence. Is it not a surprising thing?” asked Dr Laberge. “I would not believe such a story if I had not incontrovertible evidence of it."—'Star,' November 6.