Philosophy of Osteopathy - Andrew Taylor Still (best authors to read TXT) 📗

Nature Makes Nothing in Vain—A Successful Experiment—A Question for Ages—The Position—Meaning of Life—Some Questions Asked—Condition in Certain Diseases Caused by Cold—Cerumen in Fluid State—Winter Kills Babies—Some Advice to Mothers—A Case in Point—Connection of the brain and Other Nerves in Digestion—Unaided Investigation.

That nature makes nothing in vain is an established truth in the minds of all persons whose observation has created in such persons a desire to reason, and that being my faith for many years I asked myself to try and get a reason of why nature had made and placed in a person's head so much fine machinery just to make a little ear-wax. If nothing is made in vain, what is that bitter stuff made for? It is always there, and more being made all the time. I have read many authors or say so's about ear-wax, and about the best the wise or the unwise have said is that it would keep bugs and other insects out of our heads. I thought if that was all that it was made for nature had done a great deal to shoo off the bugs. The idea that it was made bitter and bad to eat just to make bugs sick was weak philosophy, if nature never did any useless work or made anything in vain. At this time I saw the doors all open and a good chance for the loaded mind to unload and give us other uses for ear-wax than bug food, and to lubricate the auditory nerves with dry wax. At this time of my desire to know some positive use or object that nature had in forming so much fine machinery and no use for its products when made, but to pull out of the head with a hairpin, I reasoned about so, that this dry hard wax was once in the gaseous or fluid state.

When I had about concluded to sit down with the common herd of doctors and say that wax was wax, a fat boy of two summers was reported to me to be dying with croup. I began to think more about the dry wax that is always found in cases of croup, sore throat, tonsilitis, pneumonia, and all diseases of the lungs, nose and head. On examination I found the ear-wax dried up. So I put a few drops of glycerine, and after a minute's time a few drops of warm water in the child's head, and kept a wet rag corked into its ear frequently for twelve hours, and gave it Osteopathic treatment, at the end of which time all signs of croup had disappeared. I used the glycerine to soften the wax, which combining with water formed a harmless soap better qualified for washing the ear, and retaining the wax in solution than anything I have tried, for it is my opinion that the ear wax should be kept in a fluid state. When in that state the absorbent can more readily take it up and use it in the economy of life in this condition. The same day two ladies came to my house, sore in lungs, necks tied up, sore throats, fever and headache. As an experiment, in addition to Osteopathic treatment, I put a few drops of glycerine in their ears, followed with water to wet and soften the wax which was dry and hard, to get it back to a fluid state. Both got better of their sore lungs and throats in a short time, and in twenty-four hours they were about well, and lungs coughing out phlegm, easily. From this I think that the cause of croup is simply the result of abnormality of the cerumen system.

As a question of the uses of ear-wax has been before man for ages without an answer being given that passes the line of conjecture, I think there could be no reason why a few looks through the field glass of inquiry should not be given in a limited way on that great plane of fertility, for the minds of our most profound thinkers. As far as the writer can learn from reading and other methods of inquiry, the power and use of ear-wax has never been known, looked on, or thought of as one of life's agents for good or bad health. One asks this question: "Why are you talking about ear-wax, the filthy stuff?" In answer I asked, "What do you know about ear-wax?" The answer, "I don't know or care anything about the dirty stuff."

As my spleen is my organ of mirth, I let it bounce against my side a few times at such ignorance and gave the wax subject more study than ever—I began to read all the books I could find on Anatomy, Physiology, and Histology to get some knowledge of the machinery that the wise architect of that greatest of all temples had made to generate wax. At this time a conviction came to me to be sure of its uses before I gave an opinion. I find the center of nerve supply of the ears located at the base of the brain and side of the head, in front of the cerebellum, just below and near the center of the brain, a little above the foramen magnum, close to and behind the carotid arteries, deep and superficial, just above the entry of the spinal cord to the brain. Thus it is situated directly in communication with all nerves to and from the brain to every part of the body. Another question, and another came only to come and go without an answer—such as how and where is this wax made? Of what use is it? Why so awful bitter? Has it any living principle above dry earth? Is it produced in the brain, lymphatics, fascia, heart, lungs, nerves or where? How much of it would kill a man? Would it kill at all? What is it made for?