, 1862-01-01

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Ur. Hunter on Asthma,
LETTER NO. XII
10 o1ae Editors Of the Tribune;
1ae Mtherto abortiTe efforts to cure astbm
tisat ia.e p!odaced q profound public conviction
.n .nal ms nlalady, when treated by any an
sG15 e1.i5 nsual form Of medication, is beyond IL,
yerl,ii. a " our At. Physicans, too, almost uni
h hhersals regard it as incurnble, while patient.
! aaxe ions since ceased to expect more thar
HsilEstlo'l OF their suf1erings This state ri
.ne popular, the professional, and the invalid
n., and IL n llscit the strongest testimony that
c;n1ss I oe ousred against TUG truth Of those prin
tue admlnlstrations Of the physician. If anE
gooa Is really to be effected by medicines. Il
tnust pc IN some radical change, citIer: in fbe
ha T1heaienes used, or in tue manner Of their use.
| N3->AAA~a1 pu46uNu 1NT ages has been ono
CONTINUOUS round Of experiments through RE
zane channel There is scarcely aDy article in
ae aateraa MedIca which has not, at one
tlne OF another, been tried as :: remedy for
a:tnna, and yet from each and all failure, and
dlSaRpolatu!ent have been the only rcturns.
Why is this? We can find no sufficient rea.
son, IN eithcr the esusc, the pak.olo7v, or the
PROGRESS Of asthma. a disease ,aGy sprinp
II IN 20 deeply rooted q vice in the system. or
GeFend or such extensive disorganzations, or
II re rt-,sr -
hance thu most efficient remedies. B1t ne
! Ha9c here Il diEease most simple in its origin
and n The changes to which it giYes rise. an3
| TeMafkable l Tor the s1owness OF its progress.
nat IS asthma An affection of the mir tubes
OF the lungs, arising either from Il morbid son1
sibi1ity of the mucous membrane. or @ of the
pulmonary nerves. It comes from q IocaI
cause, and Is maintained by local condition
II we seek TO investigate its nature more close
-; !alho!1s1eal anatomy only confirms this
IN cases Of very aggravated character. e2arv
organ IN t1e body, except the lungs, is found
healthy. In the lungs we find IN nno co.a
morbid anssasitkty or i77itab7ity; in second
n1;:eAe'eng 1e:sg OF the mucous membrane; in a |
third, alteration Of this me;nbrane: in
1ourtn Tue expansion Of the air tubes Lcre and |
1Eere INTO oa9s, pouches or caefties while in -
JM' the aar cells OF the part in which the dis
ease Is seated arc 1-aptN5vt1, and more or less
comP!eteIs destFoYcd. But there is nothing
comes from such causes as produce onr SIM
plest colds or seFcrcst infis11nnations Il n-n-
gresses sloHl1, and for u long tine the genera1
aealsh continues tolerablE good-far better. in
!ae., u!an Is usual N other local affections.
Reasoning Priori, therefore, we shouj,I ~
pect to lind asthma one Of our most c,.r,11.
diseases: yet strange to say, NOTHING Tas
been done to prove il such. - o ae7
eount Tor this result there must be some ora.+
ta!lacy IN the treatment oAeA1
The MD orstar, , = I,,,....t,
Of smoking stra,aoAiunl''- tie nore 11, ~.
cent employment Of ''ethe,'' and tch19yoiory,,',
1arlng the 1T, are Illustrations of the 5ct;nn
81 inhaled remedies. And though these can
pns ,nd nteg 6c fegaFdfd as pea in their application
ief during the lit, the relief they hare @ fhn: 1g.
tnordca, o. o'er-balanecs the benefits Obtained
ro1n r1 stomach indication thousand fold. And
" Lbs pc true OF the Inhalation Of three smn1e
3anlatiSes, you can readily understand hew ,
:" giua anu Iadleal must prove thorough md
@ arc Of physician, practically acona;,tcJ
Slln :l lhe action Of inl1alcd remedies. and WHO
lheets Ills efforts not merely to relax tn.
pasm and q afford relief during the fit, but Ia :
Spaae y ta tne morbid irritability and scnsibity
! ! lhe mucous membrane, aud break mn thc 9
hron1c bronchitis Oh which tic astlm,tjc ~. ~ !
acks depend 'AA1''1e al-
experience has abundantly proved that wr =
no good hy sending local remedies t
n,a u ni1nd mission through the stomach and c
eneral system. Where fact has 1,cc1mc CO r.
1aubltably established BY the trials and tcs.
mony Of ages, it is unwise and unprotita,,1o O.
dispute it. And this fact is clearly cstal,.
snGd, not Gully with reference to asthma. Init | 4
pplles WIN equal force to every chronic Local G
lscase thaf CAN be reached by local meI. r
at!on- l say chronic, because aruke intInm, I
LIONS ~ 1ofnl partial exception to this ruIe y
Chronic affections Of the t7e-of the f5ra9t p p
OF Inc ofgd'as Of !gene5atiou-of the skin. the n
'aNts the stomach, DE-, arc all treated with Y
na. eal saeeess ~ the ediTectapplication Of medi-
res, &C.: Now analogy is clearly in favor nf a.
plying the same principle Ito the treatnrnt
~ ~ chfonic diseases Of the lungs, and cs1,c
aliF so TO tue treatment of asthma an affcc. ho
- ~ phacIJ loeal both IN its causes and effects.
We naa no J4.rfs, we might reason from tic
tufc n OF TINS disease alone, with great force
1aeor OF local treatment. But Is not tho
alogy placed beyond all question by well
low1 Iacts, regarding the beneficial action N,
medicines in this disease? Hus not tba ~ .N
tie relief which the poor nsthu,atic Las bith. du
~ ~ to toptalncd been procured by i7s}tuliaqS Re
Il mas become the practice Of medical mon
mGet All alleged cures Of consumption, from 81, s.,
ouIa or1; Y he e9aftenang ~ that such cures
. aulating consumption Though snel - n n
Vt Is wholly erroneous, as assuming fhe in 81
Eabult5 OF Phthisis-let us accept It in this Ser
thn 70 saFe argument. What is asthma, p
t;s S+taa3 LILY VI essea Gn1 mere Bron- po
inc ar tubes? The same condition EXISTS ~ ~
nine cases out Of ten, without fits or na- TAI
,ysms, ana we call it chronic B,ouciiitis {dry Iiy
l,u1mld, !, MID, as the case may bel in the tenti. Dre
), and VIC call it asthma. If in1ah1tiou Is His
nelent to cure Bronchitis when 81 "o
ete7dte as to resemble CONSUMPTION. # SIT
o. surely be sufficient to cure asthma
a. an cases depending on simple Bron- Flo FFllso
,ssano LIS ~ o. such are eight cases out of co1
~ ten Again, in asthma arising from NOR. nat ot
senslblllty, soothing and tonic inhaIations Rve
overcome the susceptibility Of the air Bar
es' ana restore their lost tone Of purclv See
snloaic or nervous asthma, therefore, there Pot
very 1e" cases that do not admit Of radical lee lee
:. lhls naTroWs the incurablc cases down r,t f,o1
nose o!d and inveterate e,nphym,nas, which far as
END On structural changes, These coare TaI1
peyond repair; but the nlcerations Of The Liz
:ous nemhrane can be healed, and the So Dre
1Uns cotrectcd and the lungs can be 50 Hee
nsthened and invigorated Us to render ~ Hid
n b9t little susceptible to those influences woo
Gu brng on tho fit, thereby saving thf, IT
@ ent from the suferings of repeated at- or Il
y, "a ara aid rendering his Life comparatively
hr length Of time necessary to brcat u,,
diseased condition Of the mucous men. Ri
le VI Inc lungs, On which asthma dcDends li
!, ,cessal1ly much greater than for the cnre ~
..1',. .ne condition when unaccompanicd by *
-I ''te' 1Hc reason OF this difference
g extreme sensitivencss Of the lun"s in To
alsease, and tue almost impossihili1T Of
Ghtlng many drawbacks rom relapse DIR
,he progress of the cure Certain mild -
Is OF asthma are often radically recovcrad Ri
e hr1ef space Of a few moaths. But after =! G
n,a rm has c1dured for masy years, and has SM
me established and inyctsrate Nv o ,.se uaa ~
ress can only be made slowly. Thr
sca condition Of tho Lining mem Toi
OF the air tubes has become q kind Tbt
ses1na '1afu7e, and stouty resists return <FtnS
aith Many OF these casss occupy a wear .,', .,. =,
ose attention to treatment to oTernotnn aho u
l. As q rule, the asthma:if. inva1i1 .boniS broug
up ms mind at the outset, to perseYere aour,
use Oh Lie inhaler for several months news
every symptom has disappeared. and tendc
"a De as faishfn1 in al the details Of his his ,r,rI,
ncnt as though in hourly apprehrns;nn lnatA'
E etuln OF fhe disease. Nanv patients d. nm.
heir own cure by abandoning treotnent eridel
il as soon as they have obtained relief scttle
9our obed;ent serya:st, or doy
ROBERT HUNTER, II, D.. Wh.
rAco T,asdo w Aaa1Es street. effect
o~N' = ~o'-' ket 70
Cook j. Mclean. "a Dearborn, ,+-o.+ . before
their price for cleaninu md dv;n,~ n-.', bablc