The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-10-31
5Gashrille Aniua.
WI. OANERON ) CO.. Pu1IIsners.
TUEspAY. ocroBER ii. 1ss5.

W. OAAhhON q Ouss fhDllsherss
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 81, 1865.
Dr. James Hunter, of New York, o
the Treatment OF Asthma.
:, To the Editor OF the Nashville Union
The hitherto abortivs efforts 10 cure asth
ma have produced profound public con
viction that the malsdy, when treated b
any and every usual form Of medication.
beyond the skill Of our art Physicians
too, almost universally regard Il as ineura
bic, while patients have 1ong siuce cease,
: 70 expect more than pslliation Of their sui
, ierings, This state Of the popular, tn
professional and the Invalid mind is, in il
self the strongest testimony that can b,
offered against the truth OF these principle
OF practice which have hitherto directed Il,
administrations Of the physicisn II AM
good Is really 70 be effected BY medicines, Il
must be in some radical change, either il
: the medicines used, or in the manner O
their use. The treatment pursued for age.
has been one continuous round Of expert.
ment through the same channel. There
IS scarcely any article ia the Materia Med
lea which kss not, at one time or another
beea tried as a remedy for asthma, and
yet from each and ali failure and disap-
pointment have been the only return.
Why is this? We can find no sufficient
reaso1, in either the cause, the analogy, or
the progress Of ssthma. disease NAV
spring from so deeply rooted 4 vice in the
system, or depend on such extensive disor-
carnations, or be 90 RAPID in its progress as
70 place at defiance the most efficient rene
dies. Bot we have here disease most sim
pie in its origin, and in the changes to
which il gives rise, and remarkable for the
] fsF IA sa
An affection Of the air tubes Of the lungs,
arising either from a morbid sensibility Of
the mucous membrane or Of the pulmonary
nerves. Il comes from local cause, aud Il
IS maintained By local condition. II we
ask to investigate its nature more closely,
pathological anatony only confirms his
opinion. Unless after long continuance,
or in cases of very aggravated character,
every organ in the body sxeeps the lungs,
is found healthy. In the luugs, We find in
one case morbid seusibiiity or irritability;
10 a second, thickness Of the mucous mem
brans; in a third, liberation of the mem
brane; in q fourth, the expansion Of the air
tubes here and there into bags, pouches or
cavities; while in 8 fifth, the air cells of the
part in which the disease is seated are rup-
| tured and more or less completely DESTROY
ed. Bet there is nothing malignant in the
character Of asthma Il comes from such
causes az produce cur simplest colds or Sc
| verest inhamations. Il progresses slowly,
and for long time the general health con-
tinues tolerdbly good-iar better, in fact,
than il usual in other serious local afec-
tiOns Reasoning a PRIOR, therefore, We
/ should expect to find asthma one of our
most euTable diseases; Jet, strange 10 say,
| nothing has hitherto been done to prove II
such To account for this result, there
must be some great fsllscy in the tire tmeht.
Experience has abundantly proved that
we accomplish no good by sending local
remedies on ablind mission through the
stomach sad general system. Where a fact
| hiss become 50 individually established by
/ the trials and testimonies Of sges, it is I'M
wise and Improbable 70 dispute il. And
| this fact Is clearly established not only with
reference 70 asthma, bus applies with equal
force 20 every chronic local disease that can
! be reached by local medication. ! say
chronic, because acute infammatiOns form
a par ial exception 10 this rule. Chrcn-
ic III ions Of the sye-of the throat-of
the organs Of geneTSton-of the skin. the
bowels the stomach, etc.-are ell treeted
with great success by the direct spT LEGATION |
Of medicines as washes, ointmenis, injec- |
tons, mixtures, etc. Now, analogy IS clear
" in favor Of applying the same principle |
TO the treatment Of all chronic diseases OF !
the lungs, snd especially as 20 the treatment |
Of asthma, sn aheetiSn purely oeal, both in |
its cause and effects.
II We had no facts, We might reason from |
the nature u this disease alone, with reat |
force, in favor of a local treatment But is /
not the analogy placed before all questions |
by we'll known facts regarding the benefi- |
cial action Of medicines in this disease |
Has not the htile relief which the poor |
asthmatic has hitherto obtained been pro
cured By inhaling2 The old custom Of 1
burning saltpeter paper" Of smoking 1
stramonium % and the more recent employ /
ment Of "ether" and "chloroform" during /
the tic, are Illustrations Of the action of in
hailed remedies. And though these can only /
be regarded as partial in their application, /
and limited IN their usefulness 10 affordiug /
relief during the fit, the relief they have |
thus afforded overbalances the benefits OBJ
tanned from stOmaehie indication a thousand /
fold. And II this be true Of the Inhalation /
Of three simple padiatiYes, you can readily 1
understand how prompt and radical must /
prove thorough and judleiops tFeatment /
by inhalation, under he care Of q physician 4
practically acquainted with the action OF /
inhaled remedies, and who directs his efforts /
not merely 10 relax the spasm and afford |
relief during the it, but 10 subdue the NOR /
bid irritability and sensibility OF the mu-
cous membrane, and break up the chronic /
bronchitis on which the asthmatic attacks /
depend.
It has become the practice Of medical 7
men 10 meet all alleged cures Of e0nsump- /
ton, from inhailing, by eontending that 4
such cures could only Bookcases Of chronic /
bronchitis Stimulating consumption"
Though such view is whOlly erroneous, as
Stunning The incurablity Of phthisie, let Us /
accept Il IN this instance, 70 save argument. !
What is asthma, in the great majority Of 4
cases, but mere bronchitis, attended by 4
spasms Of the muscular coat Of the air /
tubes. The same condition exists in nine /
cases out Of ten, Withous FITS or paroxysms, /
and we call it chrenic bronchitis dry or hui 4
mid, as the case may BEL in The tenth, with /
Iabored, irregu ar and interrupted breath
ing, and we call it asthma. HInhslation is
suficient % cure bronchitis when 20 invets-
rate as 10 resemble consumption il must |
surely be Sufficient TO cure asthma in all /
cases depending On simple bronchitis, and /
Of such are eight cases out Of every tea, /
Again, in asthma arising from morbid sensi- 4
bility, soothing and tonic iIhalations soon 4
overcome The susceptibility OF the air tubes, /
and restore their lost tone. Of purely spas 1
nodic or nervous asthma, therefore, there /
are very few cases that do not admit Of radi- /
cal cure. This narroWs the incurable cases /
down 70 those old and inveterate emphyse- |
mas, which depend on structural ehaG ges |
These cases are beg nd repair; but the nj
eeIation Of the mueus mlmbrains can be 1
healed, and the sec. etions corrected, and /
the Iungs can be 50 strengthened and in |
vigorated Is 70 render them bat little Eus- |
ceptible 70 those influences which bring on /
The &c, thereby saving the patient from the /
suteings 81 repeated stacks, and render |
ing his life comparatively comfortable.
The length Of time necessary 70 break up |
the deceased condition Of the mucous mem (
brsne Of the lungs, en- which asthma de-
pends, is necessarily much greater than for
The cure OF the same condition when Sc
eompsnied BY asthmatic hts. The reason Of
this diference Is the extremessnsiuYeness
Of the lunFs in this disease. and the almo.s
mpossiblity Of preventing many drawbacks
/ from relapse daring The progress of the
cure. Certain mild forms Of a-thma are often
1 radically recovered in the brief space Fl q
/ few moths But after asthma has endured
] for many wears, and has become established
| and inveterate By age, progress san only Be
| made slowly. TLe diseased eenfiitien Of the
linidg membrane Of the air-tutes has be-
| come . kind ai second nature aud resisu
/ 4 ranid return 10 health. As a rule the
l estimate Invalid should make up his mind,
| at the outsst, to perseyere in the use Of the
! inhaler for several months after every
I svnptam has disappeared, ard should be As
I fsithfll ia an the details Of his treatment ~
though ia hourly apprehension Of return
I'll TIE disease MsHy patients defent their
own core BY abandoning treatment almost
I - s1.u e. they have obtained relief.
Your obedient fervaut,
4sNEs HrSTrs, n. D.
Cirr HoTEt, NASHVILLE, Oct 80, 1865.
Norr DIR. Hunter, 81 the urgent request
/ af mir patients. hae consented % remain in
Nashville during the present week. an
who desire 90 peuonaliy consult him must
DO 90 Immediately, as his ofaes Will eose on
/ satufday evening next; after which his ad-
dress VIII he lss West Fourth Street, Gin
| einnaG, who're his patients vii report
weekly by letter.