New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-09-10
Communicated
Or. Robert Hunter on the Causes Of Consump.
tiOn-COntinued.
tCommunicated.I

| uOn-COnt1nueus
| LETTER NO XVI
| To The Edito, Of The NJ T. Daily Tribune
Sir: In my last letter pointed out tro causes Of
Consumption. The first of these, inheritance,
showed could only exist when the parent, at the
time of birth, was actually suffering from Consump-
ton. When luch is tho case the child may inherit
the disease Of the parent aud generally dies from 1t
few months afterwards Inherited Consumption
is only seen in infants. pointed ont how per-
son may be predisposed to Consumption by inherit
ing a small chest. The second cause of Consump-
ton described was Catarrhal disease Of the Nose,
Throat or Bronchial tubes. l shall now proceed to
explain how certan trades and coiiings undermine
the health and engender disease of the lungs.
To render my observations more practical shall
diyiGe these trades into several classes planning
the injurious influence OF each.
| l. AHtades which cramp and eoafae tie moro
mtnts IF the clcst.
II dos not matter how large and well formed our
lungs may be- If, by tho habifrH position Of the
| hody, we cTamp the chest aud prevent the lungs
from filling with air at every nsi ration, they will
soon become diseased. As have already explsined
in former letters, the pHr'tg IF che Lood deperds on
the qHantitV IF ar taken inio the lungs When we
camp the chest, sufficient air cannot he received TO
remove the c0r61n aud unless II be removed iuber-
makers, I'dd0rS, IFGvrrs, lnd Dressmakeys are
all very prone to consumption.
III. III eaNsaes Joiored an close, Jadiy-gesti'dfed
rooms.
It is essential to the health Of the lungs that the
siOIld hot oaly be received III sufficient quantity
but Of proper purity. It, purity depends on it,
free circul0k0n and frequent Tea'irai. Tie air OF
the largest ting house specify becomes ionl,
Unless constant stream Il fresh air is made TO pass
/ through il. Even the air of "a yard o. en- 10 the
| l.t0 in
manner as 10 exc ude currents, becolues sagnnn
and unwhole some. The back part OF long room
opening on the public street is always filed with
| impure air even though the whole front b. ieit
/ olen. Merchants aud boOhkeepcrs are III this way
continually exposed TO is oneryaiing Influence aua
rendered liable TO Consumption. All THE l. ab-
eurdy wrong, since, by simple system OF venilla
non, the smallest be kept perfectly rur@
While without II the largest rooms, even with doom
| and windows open, become unfit for hui' an iHoia-
ton. Every room occnii led ~ human being--or
even by brutes whose lives nrc valunhle-ahOuld
| breotto--tha IL TO say, should throw out n steady
| -tr,am " toui ar aud take IN "A steady strenm Of
Drrc ar Where this Is not attended to- the IL
Pants soon become feebo-their cheeks lose thclr
iresnnesf-their blood becomes thick, dafa ani car
| bonaCeous-ind ere long, their disregard o. the
laws Of health If pubisLoi Ly premature decline.
Ill An trades pt'ci ctPofc The lungs T. direct
irritation.
In my las, letter xplained how irritation oCne
mucous membrane produced by colds leads on W
consumption. now propose TO show that an irri-
fotioa produced il the Hofr, throat and bronchial
fubts, by constantly brca Ling an atmosphere filled
with duet produces tie siIne elects upon The heah
undermines the strongest constitutions, and engen
ders consumption irthe ZANE Way rs colds.
II has long been known that
stone Msrons, Miners nud Coal beavers,
Flax, Cotton aud W DOL Dresser,
Dressefs of feathers AID hair,
Brass and Steel PolishoTs,
Metal Grinder ard Needle Pointers,
Glain.heaveru and kIce Drrssers.
are all particularly lihbe 10 consumption. Why are
hey 30 Bocauso these cal!.rgs are all carried on
i'm "A duffy atmosphere. DIR. Allison Of Edin bnrgh
tells 10 th-t thogt is hardly iusiauce a macon
regularly engaged in cutting stones IN that city free
from consumption Mt the age II % years. Exroeed
10 The inhalation Of fine ar les Of saad, aust and
powdered stone, they cAly die before they reach
igyfy. An immense proportion OF tho miners OF
Cor wall, England, are destroyed At an err!y Hge /
by chr onic bronchitis aud c0nsnmp'ion. Sir John
forLes editor Of The Butish aid Fore gn M,dicO- /
Ctifuruicnl Review, IN lis report attributes this
niQhtinl mortality 10 ihe Inhalation Of duet. The
r,ilers engaged ia cutting millsones in she great
or.rries a. Waldschat on the Rhine, we have the /
su,hOniy OF WeP!cr iof aging all become coueunp-
tive. Tie quauyrea at St. Koch, ~ France, are ~
,glle 10 consumption, that among tbem the a. scare
|, known by the lame " La M4lagic de 81. H0ch." .
ChAtcauneuf tells US tlat tie mortality from COM
uu vtion has irighfully increased emOng the people
Of tho Commune Of Mensncs since they engaged III
Them a-e few persons who have not read accounts
Of the injurious effects Of dry ping" and "dry .
crindfHg." Those engaged n tii Kind Of work ARE
all short-iyed. Sir james CLARK ASSURES ur that III
ito two principal machine factories at Leeds there
were 10 be found Only tt0 fiiers who had reached
The ape of forfy-1glf. The experience OF the grind
ers is stiii worse. DR.. Knight found " about 80
tb,usard five hundred grinders In Sheffield, En-
land "Of these, 30 men and ~ boys are fork
,1inders. 1hese grind dry, and lie from y TO -
yeaIs OF age. The raEOr grinders gIlnd BOTH yet
aud 1yv and they die from 10 10 10 yeaIs. The
IIb.kS,6 grinders work on Wt stones, and they
live 20 between 10 and % years 10 prove that
g,ind,rg i more Injurious than other trades, DIR.
Kuivit made IA comparison Of all the workiuen, aud
ound hut Of TWO hundred and iity grinders, no lees
than one hundred and MY Tour ihhoied uhder dis,
e,ge OF tic lungs, while of the same number engaged
i; o,ber work. only bU1-siz were consuniptive
NOW AZ The habits OF the different classes OF me-
4, .,i.s engaged in the same workshops bre pre-
uolv like il IL clear that the greater liability If
,vue Of them to cOnsgEptio Is entrcIy due 10 he
iiiurous charhcer oil their employment, ana
teuee that nat employment Is cause OF
mis- di ease. Drcssers Of flax aud hair are gener- |
.Iy Unhealthy. 1hockIah, sieaking Of the inju- |
i,Is ef, ere Of the du-i OF mill Gays: " Ia proper
ton 10 We degree aud continuance 81 this delete
Gus influence lie the heGd Affected, ITO dPpefs re-
I,ced, 5f.9f ai,oa impaired, cough, aud ilaliy /
b,O4rl,hs or fHierc,tior consumption produccd.'
MIGHT 10 on citing additional evidence IN proof
Of Inc loroi orgIn of consumption IN tie grch ma
jorty OF cases, ana ~ proof ol NY theoy teal IL Is
generally arqrircd aud seidom 'nheTHs', bat we
above gIe amply sufficient for my Tur oee, while
tbe length Of NY leitf warns me th~' H'As' ea"
II to close. .
IL viii DO seen that a small chesi Il @rcie cold,
a cynmyed pOsti0n II he body, impure ar md
dHsty noykshop all produce consumption IN precrey
The iame way-by preventing the admission Of the
orVgel Of The air TO he lungs IN sufficient quantity To
ID H...4 fl..N