The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-01-01
About Dyspepsia.

Sufferers from this horrible maladv
will find some of their own feelings de-
scribed in the following article from the
Oyerland Monthly:
Did you ever have the dyspepsia ?
Did you ever have-or ever imagine you
had-a complication of all known, and
several unknown diseases? If yes, then
you have had the dyspepsia, or its full
equivalent. Chronic dyspepsia may be
defined as an epitome of every com
plant whefewith transgressing mortal
ity is scourged. 1t is as nice thing to
have about you as q trunkfull of taran-
tulas, with the trunk lid always up. An
eminent English physician has said
Z" A man with bad dyspepsia is "a VII
lain" He is, and worse. He is by
turns a fiend, moral monster, and a
physical coward-and he cannot help
it. He is his own bottomless pit, and
his own demon at the bottom of it.,
which torments him continually with
pangs indescribable.
When a worm Of the business dust of
this world has writhed with the dvs-
pepsia until it has assumed a virulent
chronic form, who shall find colors anu
abilities varied enough to paint his
condition q? His blood becomes first
poverty-stricken, then impure, and, as
"bIood will tell" every part of his
system is contaminated by the foul
stream. The brain complains bitterly
on its own account, and vehement com
plants are being continually sent up to
it from the famishing liver, bowels.
spleen, heart, and lungs. Like "sweet
bells tangled out of tune" the entire
organization breathes discords. Even
the remote toes telegraph up to the
brain: eve are starving down here;
send down some provender." The brain
makes acquisitions on the stomach.
which are futile. The stomach is pow
erless to provide, and the brain cannot
transmit. At times al the starving or
gans conspire together, suspend work
and undertake to compass by riot what
they fail to get by appeal. Then life
trembles in the balance. Then the CON
solation-O, the consolation that is
visited on the dyspeptic. Friends
when he is lifeless from lack of vitality
friends will exasperate him with
taunts Of being lazy" "shiftless. ''
INDECENT" and without ambition =
Nor can his friends be made to appreci
ate that it is as preposterous to expect
one who is undergoing constant torture
and consequent exhaustion to have
ambition as il would be to expect a
corpse to have an appetite. Remedy:
everybody's advice-that is, ride every
body's hobby. Cure: death. Drugs
are but aggravations, and "bitters -
are bitter indeed.
We have heard of a chronic dyspeptic
who took his cue from his chickens. and
by swallowing daily a moderate handful
Of gravel stones Of the size Of a pea
downward, finally succeeded in trans
/ forming "cue into cure" He
claimed complete restoration. In the
face Of this evidence to the contrary, We
re-assert that, for chronic dyspepsia in
Its worst form, there is but one certain
cure-absolute rest. Preventive: take
as good care of the coats of your stom-
achs as you do of the coats of your
backs. Do you wish for faith in God.
in human love, in earthly happiness, il
the benefcence of Nature, and in i'm
mortality? Keep your digestion Wig
orous; on that hang all of these. Would
/ you prefer an abiding faith in tortures
unspeakable, in horrors inexpressible
Destroy your digestion. Would you
live in the body for ever? Kep your
/ digestion in full vigor; and although
the end Of the world may come, your
end will not come-you viii have to 20
after it. Old age is but the failure OF
nutrition. Nutrition is life; non-nutri-
tion is death.