RUPTURE AND ITS RISKS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 502, 8 May 1909, Page 3

RUPTURE AND ITS RISKS.

INTERVIEW WITH MR. G. EOWE. 1 "It is rather distressing,",-, said, Mr. G. ; Rowe,. expert truss manufacturer;: "to : know I that' 20, per ,cent. of the .public ttro suffering', 1 more or loss from rupturo. When'-you see'the I chemists'' windows dccorated with articles usod Ito relieve ,such cases, you can guess is a:; pretty live domaud tor such goods. "Tho pity is, however,' that many 1 people I fancy that any : truss will suit any hernia, : which is serious, if not fatal. Bp Jill a few. months ago,-such a businesses ono for. manufacturing and fitting trusses'was unknown in " New Zealand, and as., the; greater proportion of the demand was, froin those of slender means-, many retailers dropped into the habit of stock-., ing a cheap and nasty article, which was disastrous to .sufferers. . " "Here," said Mr. Rowc, reaching for a volume in a bookcase, is ' Murray on Hernia,' and here is a typical caso as to tho proportion ■ of.the different.phases of hernia. He iakes -17 - eases, of which 30 are males and 17 females. Of these there is one case of -umbilical hernia,. 11 cases of inguinal hernia, and 35 cases of, femoral hornia—tho youngest 7. and tho oldest j6B years of ago. As to .tho one caso of . umbilical hernia, I very much- question ..whether la truss for, that misplacement-could:'b6 purchased if all, the chemists' shops; woro ramranged; so tho sufferer : would cither have to . undergo nu operation or 'keep'on'suffering, whereas if lie was supplied by', the proper truss, such as I can turn 1 out, there would bo no need of an operation, and it would 'ensure, comfort and safety. "Inguinal hernia occurs more frequently. There is no form of this hernia which is com-' mon to all, which'in itself'creates-the necessity for , special fitting. That ' ckn only;-' bar accomplished by? tho-fitter , having tho v .correct and careful measurements and. the necessary knowledge of anatomy.- A badly-fitting truss is likely to create strangulation, and is more dangerous than to bo' without" one, altogether,' as there is tho ever-present danger of tho hernia sliding or . dropping,'under • tho trussp'ad reinforced by tho pressure of tho trilssspring. : . '' . "Again, the average chemist sells trusses without knowing exactly what a hernia is. Itv some instances. I have known of lliem putting it down as ■ 'something torn inside,' or a laceration v of the subcutaneous membrane, while in reality '" no 6uoh thing takes place. The hernia: sao predominates in many individuals, though it may not descend or protrude. "In proof of my contention that special fitting' is needed in all oases of hernia, horo are a few of tho cases 6ont to mo by tho medical mon of this' city, showing that thoy' prefer to send their patients to mo rather than liavo them supplied with trusses from tho usual stock sources. Ono advantage of tho specialist method lies. in. tho fact that the fullest measurements can be forwarded to mo on special charts ■ I issue to anyone, near nnd far, on application. ! Trusses can bo fitted just a« easily by this means as: by personal interview with "G. EOWE, "69 Manners Street." " —Advt.