Between 1912 and 1914 Dr. Abrams gave “clinical courses” on “Spondylo­therapy” in various parts of the country—price $50. These “courses” were widely advertised by an Ohio concern that seems to make a specialty not only of handling the advertising campaigns of those members of the medical profession who have unusual or bizarre methods to exploit, but also of acting as an agent for the sale of such devices and publications as may be necessary to the proper practice of the particular brand of therapy that is being exploited. At the time this concern was featuring Abrams’ course it called attention to the alleged fact that “no class were [sic!] so busy as those employing mechanical treatment such as Osteopathy, Chiropractic, Mechanotherapy, etc.”

Says Dr. Abrams:

“Despite the fury of tongue or the truculence of the pen, the osteopath and chiropractor are inspiring the confidence of the community with their systems. Right or wrong in their theory, they are, in vulgar parlance, ‘delivering the goods.’ Spondylo­therapy was a product of necessity—the translation of an ignored field of medicine from a chaotic to a scientific basis.”

Possibly the following testimonial published by Dr. Abrams as typical of many received, and credited to “Dr. Henry Stacy Dodge, Richmond, Va.,” may explain the field that “Spondylo­therapy” is to cover. Incidentally “Dr.” Dodge is listed in the Richmond telephone directory as a chiropractor:

“I have been in practice for fifteen years in Chiropractic and ten years an Osteopath and I wish to say that during the last three years I have received more genuine and sincere satisfaction from the application of Spondylo­therapy than all other methods combined. My success in gastrology alone is worth many times the cost of the information.”

More recently, Dr. Abrams has advertised that he gives a “course” in Spondylo­therapy in San Francisco, beginning on the first of each month. The course last four weeks. “The honorarium for this course is $200.00.”

In 1912 an organization was created devoted to this new therapeutic method: the “American Association for the Study of Spondylo­therapy.” Later Dr. Abrams was made Honorary President. Whether the organization is still viable we do not know.

ELECTRONIC REACTIONS OF ABRAMS

In addition to “Spondylo­therapy,” Dr. Abrams has also evolved what he calls the “Electronic Reactions of Abrams.” These are said to make possible long-distance diagnoses, it being necessary only to send a few drops of blood taken from the patient and allowed to dry on a slide. There are, it seems, certain instruments and devices used in the performance of these diagnostic feats. By means of the “Electronic Reactions” Dr. Abrams (while admitting the protective factor of vaccination against smallpox) has discovered that practically all the vaccines obtained from reliable firms yield the reaction (“electronic tests”) of congenital syphilis, and that many of them also yield the reaction of tuberculosis and of streptococci and staphylococci. Further, “from the cicatrices of all vaccinated persons, one can always elicit a reaction of congenital syphilis and in early scars a tuberculous reaction.” Dr. Abrams also declares that exposing vaccine virus for ten minutes to blue light will destroy the syphilitic, strepto­coccic and staphylococci reactions and exposing it for the same period to yellow light will destroy the tuberculous reaction.