DR. FRANCESCO SAUCHELLI, the chiropractor, has expressed his belief that Caruso’s illness is not the result of any specific cause, but that it has been brought on by a series of events dating back some six years in the tenor’s life.

“During the past six years,” said Dr. Sauchelli, “Mr. Caruso has had at least three falls, which I believe, are directly responsible for his condition at the present time. In the last act of ‘Tosca’ his part calls £or a realistic fall, and six years ago, he fell exceptionally hard and seriously hurt his nose. Again, about a year ago, Mr. Caruso fell and hurt himself during the second act of ‘Samson and Delilah,’ and three weeks ago in the same temple scene, he was injured again by one of the columns falling across his back.

“The effect which these falls have had upon Mr. Caruso culminating in his latest fall, have seriously displaced spinal bones and have thus largely shut off the flow of nerve energy to his thorax, lungs and the entire upper part of the body. This deprived the parts of their normal vitality causing imperfect elimination and inflammation to set in.

“The bodily nerve system, converging at the spinal cord, is encased within the spinal column, which is a succession of movable bones separated from each other by discs of elastic cartilage. It is possible for one or more of these movable bones to become slightly displaced so that the nerve trunks are pressed against pinched or unduly tensed.

“Some time ago I made a thorough examination of Mr. Caruso’s spine and discovered at that time serious displacements of spinal bones, and advised him that his only recourse lay in having them adjusted to normal position, which would have taken some time to complete. Mr. Caruso, however, did not follow my advice.

“Pleurisy is practically the same as pneumonia, except that it is that phase of pneumonia related more particularly to the thoracic wall. If, in such cases, the spinal bones which are out of place and are shutting off the normal supply of nerve energy to the thorax, are adjusted to normal position, the condition known as pleurisy, is of very short duration. Without such adjustment, the condition frequently progresses to the point where there is a dropsy into the thoracic cavity, which may require what is known as ‘aspiration,’ or the projection of a hollow needle through the thoracic wall to procure drainage from the pleural cavities. This is the operation recently performed upon Mr. Caruso.

“If the spinal hones are properly adjusted to normal condition, the accumulation thus drained off does not occur. Even if it has occurred, adjustment of spinal bones restores all bodily functions so that the accumulation is drained off in natural ways without an operation. The correction of the condition is possible through adjusting the spinal bones back to normal.”