We Did Our Best!

A young man developed a sore throat. He went to his physician, who prescribed penicillin for the inflammation. The sore throat promptly disappeared. Three days later, however, he developed itching and hives all over his body. A physician correctly diagnosed a penicillin reaction and prescribed antihistamines. The hives went away.

The antihistamines caused the patient to be drowsy, so that he cut his hand while at work. He went to his company’s nurse, who put some antibacterial salve on the injury. The salve contained penicillin, and caused the hives to return.

Recognising a possible serious anaphylactic reaction for the second time, his physician then prescribed corticosteroids (cortisone). The hives again disappeared.

Unfortunately, the patient developed abdominal pains and noticed blood in his stools. The correct diagnosis was then made, of a bleeding peptic ulcer brought on by the cortisone. The patient failed to respond to standard measures to correct the haemorrhage, so the next course of action was a partial gastrectomy. The surgery was successful. The stomach pains indicated and the bleeding stopped.

The patient lost so much blood, due to haemorrhaging and the stomach surgery, that a transfusion was indicated. He was administered two pints of blood and promptly contracted hepatitis as a result of the transfusion.

Being young and vital, he recovered from the hepatitis. However, at the point of insertion of the transfusion needle, painful red swelling appeared, indicating a probable infection.

Having had previous bad experience with penicillin, the drug of choice for this infection became tetracycline. The infection promptly subsided.

Disruption of the intestinal bacteria by the tetracycline caused painful abdominal spasms and severe diarrhoea. The patient was then administered an anti-spasmodic type drug, and the diarrhoea and spasm subsided.

Unfortunately, this drug was in the belladonna, or muscle-relaxant, group of drugs, which relaxed the smooth muscles all over the body. From this action on the muscles of the iris in the eyes, it impaired the patient’s vision. He drove his car into a tree and was killed instantly.

This is a true story!

From the Nassau County Nursing Society magazine, a reprint of an article by Doctor Tishkin in “The Myth of Modern Medicine”. From The Medicine Men by Leonard Tishkin, M.D., St. Martin’s Press.