New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-08-06
IComnunicatedI
DR.. II. Hunter on Chronic Consumption.
LETTER NO. XII.
. nj. Y.J..


! To ne Editor IF TAs N. '. Daily Tribpn.
SIR: Having pointed out the usual syrfp,Om4
which occur in Consumption, purpose next to ex
plain, in This and subsoqen, letters, the seve'a
Kinds Of this ds"ase, for IL must not be suppose
that in all cases the same symptoms exist
Tie most common form Of t!is disease is known to
physicians By the name " Chrosic Consumption,
and generally begins with slight dry coagh. 1t il
called chronic because Of its slow progress. The old
physicians used to regard oOsgh rs the cause because
! it usually preoetes consumption, but ne now know
that it is but the effect. vould be qu.'e as ssrsibe
to aay that pain caused decay in the teeth IN that
cough produced disease OF the lungs. Cough " bit
"A ~ M ,om of irritation in HE lungs ana for long
time scarcely more snan "drg hacsiRg.' lscause -
the pre-ence Of tiercs in their rst stage " devei
opment. and if tie patient were 20 die suddenly, OF
au injury or Gn scute disease we should md them
-'ucdins the VIDer cgTt Of one Sr both lunSs, aud
looking precrely Ike miir sccd. IL is ver7 com
mon to end tic lungs Of those dying OF teyer and
iblamma;ous filled with hne ubsrces and thas, too
where the health Of the lungs had never been sus-
Te.ied. Indeed many of those friends with whom
we are IN daily intercourse, and VINO segard them
selves - perfectly healthy, arr thus carving ahou,
the seed If tScir own ces-rrclon, depSsted IN the
lungs during some recent cold, nud on'y hWhtlnH
some iututo a os..se ieiGcs them active and de-
yclop dl-oase 81 which they Are the germ.
& ronic C0usumpiicn begins ollie emily u differ
EFT c.,cs. 4 pcrson apparently IN perfect health
iaf al attack ot Cofdrrh, or SIRE JaT'ai, and
when tbs subsidies IL leaves the 6y hatkiH? c'Rgh
tc.ore alluded TO. Or the FIRE. symptom MAY be "a
sDfttAg II bood, which may be- considerable, and
of q bright red color, or onlr s''2h 'tvt0k
in the mucus I'm many cases ,he first syn IA
chii sensation in the back, followed by more o.
Ia.s ieut in tie Daim If tie handr. or an afternoon
fgsL on the cheeks Then again in many cares We
inI the hands aud feet colder tnan NEUTRAL. Az ,his
season the patient probably does not feel thls, ont
those b. h,alto, when ahahing hands, immeciaeiy
detect the difference. Should the hunNng o. She
checks or tie foveri-hne-e Of ia. baud lie followed
by g,rs,'rafi0hs ut night, the patient y ihoush TO
be .uiir mig from maskei iggt.
Tho stomach in Chfoaic Consumption : not usually
much DISTURBED until after tie di-ca's l. Firmly
esfalli-hed. II il by no mems uncomu ~ for TIE
a, petite 10 reinaiu good until diarfea SEA in. when
II become carrl,lOu and poor. In ielnai1s mOHtpf
frrfeufrrffU ~ common from early psfb0d OF The
disease nnd arises from the deby produced by the
hn1 siatc OF the ungs After hScifc tcrcr and Hfght
sus1ts are fully established, the lOas of Lsh and
strength takes place IapiiIy, ana the body may
truly be said to consume away. la seVsre case
tie loiris show the loss Of Gesh by APPEAR <
larger Than natural, the chest becomes conOfact-d
the features tbarleucd, and tie eyes atia,t more
than their wonci cearnesS and tri.lancy.
re mairr eXlec,orated changes WITH IT, 'ciiier-
emf sta-es II tie dhease. H. The COMMENCEMENT
tlrrr is eAprctJIntOn, Tor the cough II dW--but
after "a tirre the PARENT conghs up Jroti mucous
TITS il usually ccaT, but now aud then co'aaifir
lif. uont OF E,ioU or sfraH-cOloTcd mattei Siill
LIT, he sputa becomes vsii0tr or OF grebHiM yc.
low when the deposit OF tubsrces follows - y |
Bronchitis, the mucus is Ike st6Tch giHe, o'DiHtsA
lrlly Amer the tubtI,es soften, the spGta is Always
y,iIoir aud some parts OF II snk IN water. Some
time. The matter expecorared has srcetlsh and IN
others a soith taste. There Is little pifH often
none al al IL the par: affected. There l., however,
commonly some ODgrfsSl0H IN breathing, ~ per
hans IN occasional N,ch in the side.
In this form OF consumption patients are Rcays
ge,fty lsfcr" II We credit their stateme ita but
nn,or,up,tey 10 the eve OF the phy stefan they ARE
st.ndiy growing wore. That they DO APP trently
improve fIOm time to time cannOt be denied, but IL
il ONLY Tor little while, and Is always tollt ~ed by
RELAPSE during which they SINK W worse hdi'ion
than before. II We take tie case 81 "A patient with
s0tfencf tnberces he spi,s pus for time Ens terer
and Highf sKfats, with loss Of dpDettte ytSh, ana
sfy,hgfh coughs inces-ahty, aud can scarctg sleep
at night When the cough gradually nbaies The ex-
peetoraiion BECOMES less aud Of better color, the
lever aud IersI iratlops vanish aud he very idurai
imagines himseiraIidly getting Well Shoa-ihe gao
aey.ra pJnnd. in weight, which lsfequcnty lie case,
his phyric confirms tie errorno which te has iskr
len by pointing to II az an evidence Oh ll r''cnent
undsr treatment. Follow such case fora, months
and all he old symptoms retnrn-henic Jehr, niyM
s,r,1f. cougb and purueHt erpectOTGtiOH. and vita
,b.,n r,,uidiy disappear the newly reco' srcd fash
and rtrengt0. a temporary Improvements III symp-
toms H. therefore, no evidence oi imprDsed ne anh
nnlcss il 30 accompanied by huch changes iiithe
LUNGS os chow that the tubeces being abso Del.
These changes for the better take place Ia most vases
~ CHRONIC Consumption, but they are awayatol-
lowed by corresponding changes Tor tie wovftt and
a, the cic.e Of each succeeding one the eye 4 the
physcia readily detects that tue con iItntion 81 the
patient is step by step giving way.
Now il will be asked why Is this The reG1on is
ea,ily explained. Consumption, haze already said,
~ cnised by tubercies III the lungs and tube sles by
,ryIu,on In the air tubes, consequent upon neglect
cd colds caiarrh, roat bronehiils, DC. Tbs
irritation NAY many times and exist tar long
time before tubercles deposi,sd but sooner Or
later more severe attack than Usual IL followed BY
m. rapd deposit OF hillary tubescies. The cold ais
arrears before many weeks, TIC irita ON Is Wiln-
d,awn and the tubetSles cease To form. DeT IN
mind however, that those already depo ..!ed retshtH
| Nopths may now pass away before aew co re-
wives the irritation ai cases farther deposit Thus
tuberces are deposited IN successive cops ano al d
ferenttmes 1hona ~ u iO.mod are tia rst toS0tes.
IA soon AS they expelled, the ps;ient improves
u,,i the second crop begss 80 soiten, when ne sSa
n.lnpsea. Now, AT eac1 sottenng o. tn,ercAs, o
! nart Of the lung breaks down; hence, a. The Lng'
irn DESTROYED, piece by piece tue cody wastes away
! hv succ,ssiye Ienpsos. Daring these periodic iIn
j ,royements NJ strupps aud viaiaous compounds o.
every description o1aln the Gedit 81 enechng th'
n amen ineut which takes place. wien, IN reality
they do harm in-teHd OF goo5, by mleriofing VIII
ia, proper action OF nature. by such means, mos
patients are being "cued fr',m the day they, be
come inyalids TO the day theS are laid in thei
graves. Cure is only to be effected by careful.
adapting the treatment to tIe stage Of the disease
: and applying the remedies ~ the affected Parf--ou
This ,h.l explain when 1 come 10 speak of treat
ment.
Nv next letter will be On "Acate or Galiopin
Consumption"
| Your obedent servant.
EOBERp HUNTER, M. D.,
Physician for diseases OF tho Throat aud Lungs n
| Gli broadway.