Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1859-10-08
tF'rom the cinelnnau RnQuirer)
Dr.. Wolfe on Consumption and Medica-
ted Inhalation
LETTER X.

N
sv,,pro,,s -, c,o,sr,,,,.,,o,,
80, N0''9'''' 'o"'
~ gives starulng importance 70 the sub
yeoe upon Whlen 1 Wrltei When we renee
tnat Oh tne crowd Of mon, women and chill
cren % we dai,y see thronglng our streets one
hith VIII iah Vieuihs 70 the lall destroyer
consumpuonl unless rescued py appropriate
treatment IN my former letter, lhaYe pre-
senteu laoontesuDie PROOF that consumption
may De cnreu Dy meuieated inhalation, aac
now iet US 10 cineor assi Wnat promise have
W. wsSO lessen .siis irlgn'lui n9rtahty py the
olu sysOem Oh Iea'ment @ i&ke up any
PraouoS ot lneulcine7-W WaSoh' ,,i WOOD or EO
ere nahneman OF 4hompson--or any
sIanueio MOTHS ~ our medical schools, and
Iney III W. allse canu,uly aV9w, thst no treat
nens o. oonsuIhpt0n 20 them known, has
oeen more ehan pailiaClVe. matcn the prac.
.lce o. Two physleians OF equal eminence,and
see now oPposte tnelr mode oil proceeding;
ons eacn lanus hls Pstlents equally IN death
% sure are tney Oh Tue iatai result, that
tney lnVsr,aply ueceiVe tnelr palenta at the
peginnlng uy saying IL H oniy mere cold
or "shgnt pronch.tls ana II the patient splts
Dlooo, y! comes rom .he throat, ana thus
!pe preol9us opportunity wneh the disease
70 mos. easliy oonsroneu' is allowed to slip
py, never 70 10 roueemeu. inc V,ry treat
ment Wnile " sootles the most distressing
symptoms, masks tue uisease' ana IN many
instances hurries on the catastrophe. When
.ne ulSease has ~ lar aoVaneea tnat the pa
tient almost olsPairs hinseii, ne Is then ad'
Vlsea 70 20 soutn OF teke sea voyage, IN
most cases deprived oil the oriental 6enedic
tion OF aging among ms kindred. Why
J snents lntruss themselves TO physlcians
VINO openly proclaim 10 their DOCKS and in
tneir conversation, snat they can do nothing
LOT consumPtIo1' s ah inconprehensibl mi
! iatuation' II the physician mas no faith in
ms ablllty 70 cure consumption, It Is the
hlght OF iohy lot the patent 70 trust him,
ana every uose ne swallows should be as a
sacrament Vakehi accompanied Dya profound
meditation upon death'
In my last letter l cited number OF
names, eminent IN the profession, favorable
to medicated inhalation as q therapeutic
agent IN treating consumption, which pre- =
sents striking contrast to the opening par
aagraph OF this letter. VIII now consider a
few OF the more prominent symptoms which
herald consumption, and by making them
perfectly understood wlll apprise the patient
OF danger IN time 70 aSertit
The earliest symptom that commonly at
tracts attention Is slight, dry cough, occur,
ing in the morning, and perhaps repeated
two or three times day. This gradually
increases IN lew weeks or months in fire.
quency, and ropy, saliva looking mucus is
spit up, most abundant IN the morning, and
usually supposed 70 come only from the
throat but lt IS sccreted from the air tubes,
which are irritated by the nelghborhood oil
the tubercles. 1radually yellowlsh specks
appear in the expectoration, which ultimate
" becomes entirely yellow OF green. The
expectoratlon IS not always criterion OF
the amount OF disease IN the lungs, though 1t
generally is' But have seen persons die,
from the blocking up oil the lungs by tuber'
ole, and neither cough nor spit the whole
time.
IL Is OF the utmost consequence that
coughs should be attended TO early, for al
though every cough is mot the premonition
OF consumption, most arel and a. ls a golden
rule that the carrier II IS attended To-, the
greater the probability OF cure Splitting
blood or bleeding from the lungs, is some'
times an early symptom, but always serious
one IN consumption 1hls symptom, says
Henry Melville possesses fearful interest,"
from the melancholy truth that 1t rarely
happens, except as consequence oi serious
disease within the chest The loss OF blood
Is an indication OF the presence oil tuberele
within the lungs; ana from these tubereles
will arise, sooner or later, oil those changes
and symptoms which constitute oonsump'
tion. On this point there is much error. II
is by no means unirequent for physicians to
cheer their patients by the assurance that
'the blood has only come from the throat
Let me warn you against being deceived
The throat rarely bleeds In nine hundred
and ninety nine cases out ola thousand, when
you cough up blood, however small the
quantity, that blood comes from the lungs,
and speaks terrible warning, Bleeding,
however, does not always accompany con-
sumption, but when you have it, ifyou yal-
ne health, ifyou prize life, If you have any
object that renders existence desirable, be.
gin at once TO earnestly resist the progress
Of this fearful malady, the seeds Of which
are sown in the most vital part OF your body
Shortness Of breath is an early symptom,
and is felt most on exertion, on ascending
nights, going up bill or up stairs 1t is a
mark of such importance, that when It ex-
lists, an immediate examination Of the lungs
should be had by competent and truthful
person, II, along with shorlness OF breath,
there is a wasting OF the body and quick
ness of the pulse, it amounts TO certainty
that there is disease going ON in the lungs.