New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-10-01
Communicated.
DR.. Robert Hunter on the Duration and Com
plicnfions of Consumption.
Communicated |


Communicated
DR.. Robert Hunter on the Duration and Com
plicnfions Of Consumption.
i LITTER No XIX
To The Edit, qf The ~ Y DAILY Tribune.
| SIR: Perhaps no error In more general among the
people than the suppostion that Consumption lie a
disease of long durGtion--a mslady so sior in is
progress that they can decide his year upon what
cours. they will pursue merit. Under tits deuson
even nteg gent patients procrastinac and put oil for
months the adoption Of those means which should
be resorted TO without an hours delay. They seem
ITO think that three or sI months hence they can be
treated quite as successfully as now, entirely over
looking the fact that the current Of their disease 10
sisnay but surely bearing them oHword snd DORM
/ ,rdrd toward the grave.
] What does experience teach us, In regard To TIE
chances of life IN this disease when II IL l.f' TO ma
ture or twhsi is quite as bad)-ireaied through The
stomach. Baron Louis. whose high standing III the
profession will pretend to dispute, tells US ihat
be kept record Of 3O5 csses. or these 1;aefy-hi.e
died within ssr month, from the occurrence Of the
first SYMPTOM Of tubercles, and one hnndrtf more
between ak and twelve months. AT the end oil one
vesr very nearly f0 thrds of the whole number were
Ibid IN their grhvt. while Of the rem aiming lc
srfy-s,rcn diei before the end Of the second year
BAY 10 records hls observations OF 200 casees'r fe'"
died during the fret three months, ~ during tie
second quarter, u during the third. and n daring
tie fourth. by adding these numbers together II
viii be seen that lss than l2i out o. the 900 hal
died Al the expiration Of the hnt year. or the re-
naming TO- h,niy-oae died before the expiration o.
E6oca month";. lie ply sicans OF tho Hospital Tor
ConfumpiOn. London, in thor published report, adj
nit thai OBsh0J OF their cases die within The hrts
tear. The late DR.. Sweat Of this city, whose WORK
l. regarded in The United Siaie,, ~ standard au-
hory on chss. dcsses, tells us That the aiaernenis
of the French physieisn. nre even more faroTdbe
than Ms expsricnee or his 'on'umpsive ea'es.
fully frO-ftuL died before the iir-. year w0 out.
] The above facts will enable the invalid u make
rom them a f.r estimate OF ito chances OF life Ia
mis- disease. VIII he disregard TIER warning, and
ftil put OH It's treatment 10 another tinof Ills
,hances If recovery are far better than they
will lie IA feS months lAier. II 10 folly 10 ..y II is
- inc hrcE:eHr to DO nj present. Life Is ,alu-
able aud The discn-s that threatens !, 'raifs far no
mans conrSniesct.
l have ,ie.izuedly taken tho above facts from the
bighcst an. moot reliable known TO the pro-
ies,on, becnu,c they point ont something moro than
the mere average duration Of consumption. They
,how "A, NE almost certain result which 10 lows The
wretched mockery Of pretnding TO ussi this dis
ease through the stomach. No practice which sends
tIro-,rds Of 10 consuiaptiyo psients 10 the grave
within single year deserves 10 be regarded as any
better than a cruel compound Of quaesery igno.
re.ace and mpoaiion No fact is better established
. than TINT neither "COnsuDltion," Asthma,
Bronchitis" nor he simplest torn Il chrome di'
cqse Of the ar pr,sages can lie reached or 10 ever
, cured By dosing the stomach.
y, From what lave said la preceding letters regard
ing the condition Of the blood IA this disease, y viii
lie understood that the circulation Of blood sur
, charged with carbopseeous impuii,y must dcrangc
tie tone and action Of many organs beside the lung
The seat VI te,e arrangements different IN differ
ent cares. In case II In the Stomach, IN anothe
the LotceIs in u third the Lrer. Whichever organ
happens 70 be the weakest in any is the one
suffer. The stomach may be merely ufamed or 4
u NAV be enia,g red to double its natural sire. The
bowels arc liable 20 liberation, no! only OF the mn
cous folicles, but also Of numerous smoH gfandl
which lie beneath the mucous membrane-in which
event the patient suffers from inveterate ChT0hi'
Diarrhqo. very singular change often take
4 rlaee ia the liver. Ii becomes transformed into
FATTY kind OF substance IL IL scarcely Necessary 10
nse TO ray that affections like those, occurring II
j. Consumption, add greatly to ,he paiisnts disccn
p oit aud by masking the more serious disease IN th
lungs blind him 70 his real danger Beside these com
!. mon COM lcaons thore still others which d.
G not think IL important 10 mention la this connection
q Now, as these secondory affections all srife iron
the state Of tho ungs-as that organ is the fountain
IN from whence they flow, We can only hope To cur
them by restoring II TO health. Remember Away
that the purity Of ,be blood depends on the rrriec
erformance Of the function Of tho lungs. II canno
become pure 30 long the AR TUBES and ar cSH
!, remain obstuct,d, aud until j, is purified 1t vii
k coninue-in defiance Of the " TONES" and ditcrd
tres" Of tho physician to derange and de1dlats Tia
a The complications have mentioned are oil situ
IA s,ed at disance from the seat OF the primary dis
ease on the Lungs. There are others which or
mora ,llosely connected. Among these we hav
Is Icerof,on Of t.e Eprgiohis-the little valve whic
Al gnards the entrance inlv ihs wndPpe, and ueere
II ton Of Tie Larynx Tie former re.1srS " oilheu
n for The patient to svali0b hquids while ne latte
q more or less completely destroys the voice. Ihes
ulceratons are caused by the direct irritating al
corrOing qualities OF the " matter cougLed up Iron
l. the lungs. Almost Ill the pam those afflicted wit
y Consumption suffer 10 produced by C0ng,sfion 81 IN
u Peuro. 1t does not indicate any particular severi
n ia the cnfe for often in desperate cases we have
" pain whatever either on tho lungs or peura. Wafe
aud purulenl mat may form outside the lungs iron
n Chyoaic Plenrny and by their pressure serious
interfere with respiration tuberco near the sur
II face Of the lungs may ulcerate outward and ALLOW
air to escape into the cavity Of the pleura in whic
" event great distress in breathing and OF in
!, pending suifocation follow.
ii Such are "A few OF the more prominent complloa
. tions which the physician, in treating consumptiv
o cases must expect 10 meet. Some Of them are hin
. ple and ensiiy controlled, while others call into 70
> auisilion, aud often defy, bis utmost skill.
NV next letter will be GU the CurabIfily u Con
snnption.
- Your obcdeb, servant,
a ROBERr HUNTER VI. D.,
n stefan for Pulmonary Diseases, No $50 Broadway
! u.Y1k. Sept ~, 1863 ., q, 8.
Note.-Dr. X. Hunter, in association with hi
attention TO the treatment Of bronchial and pull
mopary diseases They Gun be consulted person
' ally or by letter at No. 8R Broadway, between Thu
b hours OF 3 q, ~. aud 8 .. H.. daily.