The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-02-26


To TIE EDITOR OF new YORK HERALD
SR--l now proceed to describe the most prominent
symptoms Of consumption.
One Of the earliest ptoms is cough" II is dry,
and rrt discovered the pstents getting out of bed
the morning After interval it Is also experienced
during the day, especially after exertion, and again at
night, after retiring For time this cough is so
eight TO DO entirely overlooked By the patient and
may scarcely DC regarded by his friends being reality
little more than one or two "dry hacks
After lapse of weeks months, the morning
cough observed to be attended by the axpectorAoa Of
clear ropy fluid like saliva which is supposed by the
patient to from the throat BY degrees this comes
to be continued with the cough throughout the day,
though much lees than in the morning.
Now, when such cough steals upon person without
any apparent cause 1t should excite suspicion and lead
TO lho most searching examination. 1t may possibly
prove animIortsnt for cough does cot always END in
consumptlon; but nevertheless II IL likely to indicate
tie appIoaeh OF serious mischief Cough IL not always
present in confirmed consumption for occasionally
through all its stages without there La wing
been any cough beyond gup.ng kind OF effort in rails
ing matter. This, however, is rare
After tine varying in different little points OF
observed in the transparent mucus exp.csoratsd, aud
about TIE same period specks and strcaks Of blood srs
occasicraly seen. The transparent expectoraon be-
comes the disease advances, while the other
hand, the Opaque yellow matter i greatly increased in
There IL no uniformity in the amount expectoratei,
different cases in the sats of the disease
Occasionally the quantity Is very small even where
the other hand, the amount may BE- large from the
commencement, steadily increasing until Il exceeds
pint twenty four hours Many patients do not expec
torate until very the disease and in some death
occars before the lungs have begun to breas down
"Shortness of bresth'' is often one OF the earliest
symptoms, ana IL Is observed In ascending stairs,
ing up Ill., or in any active exerton at which tims-
sns rsans Of SIGHT or preston In the chest Towards
khe close OF the disease this consttutes often tho
principal datress OF tho patient Many persons who
regard TO 10, viii make deep inspiration, and then
forcb strike the breast with the hst remarkng there
ia pothing the matter here ~ to which declaration
they anticipate unqualified assent from the physician.
But unfortunately this is no test shortnsss Of breath
IL generally Increased before hctnorrhage and
l,eyed by the loss Of blood The term, shortness Of
breath 10 used In the same sense hurried rapid
breathing. Tie number Of respratons, in health,
rss from fifteen to seventeen in minute but, in this
disease IL is unusual thing for them to increase 20
twenty five or thirty, and that too without exciting
the attention alarm of the invalid.
The pulse is usually much increased n frequency
and feebeLess There 10 remarkaoe connection kept
mr. beteen the pulse and the number Of respraens per
minute Lsnh additional reputation above tho standard
health vii DO found to raise the pulse about hvc beats
Thoe cases in which the pulse but little disturbed are
more favorable than those in which II ranges from
hun5red 20 hundred and twenty.
Pain in the chest uiualy does not occur until late
in the disease and have known the lungs to be broken
down aad large ulcerous excavations formed without
the pa,in complaining Of the least pain. Gene
rally there is .sne Of We ht and oppression Some
patents feel shafp pains below the collar bone beneath
The ,hodsr bMces or in tho sides In others there is
Gun aching, or sen,e " burning the same parts
The feat OF The pain frequently distant from the part
affected not unusual tor the pain to be experienced
the right lung, while the disease Ia confined TO the
Hectic fever" ia symptom OF great momeAt. Where
yaroxy o. "agu.p aud treated without lea4ng TO
discovery Of s connection with the disease in the luBgs
oreeps the patient insiaousy and increases
allow degrees. Towards evening he feels chilly chr ugs
up bis shoulders, turns his back the hTe After
sss bed his hands aud feet hot and towards
uopDng he perspiresat frst slightly but the dis.
ease advances 50 profnsely 10 1rench everything
about the bed. Probably, one Ia every ten escapes
-,isbt sweats' altogether These sseats have close
xonnecon with sleep. They rarely while the "a
tent u awake 50 distressing Is this symptom, taat
,sny aacted BY IL dread the return OF night The ex
,ssted and rapid wasting OF the nesh which occur ia
Nsdyanced stages Of this disease In great degree
ane to the debil tating effects OF night rwsats.
no losing % Little ncs ia often OF the earliest
symr <osns wasting tie peculiar mark u ts disease
II uees on though the aprealo may be gpol aad tho
rod Al q and nutrtiogA This however is the
ea-e inv kbly for the disease not unirequeny makes
NE progress before the patient becomes vsiby
.lipperl rsault most soniy u young
Wien a per >on, with out any apparent cause, becomes
thin ard ha ~ the same time quick Pulse and hur.
aa you may almost certainly conclude that
here IL IN the chest though that
,n.y yer have be- suspected
The s,rnenstruad functonn 10 generally suppressed
.yt,y the 6rst few months Of the disease The destruc
tive ehapse "a going in the lungs absorb all the
srsies ~ the sy,tsns Often the attention IL
atsefso TO the lungs until long after the menstrual
fuac,,oo has become 81 opTessed. It's unfreqnent
ccsunsnoe Tor strong cinss 70 bs presented By the