Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-07-10
Consumption.
BY DIR. R. K.

man system. Tnere are sOO
such diseases who, by long stand
ino and exhaustion, bring on con-
snmntion. but here we will talk only
If consum ption of the lungs: Ptithy-
sis Pulmonalis. Not many years since
most every consumptive lung had
been considered to be etHict-
ed by tuberculosis, that ls,
disease which begins with
micros kOpical new formation Neo-
p!asms), Increasing In numbers and
SIZE, creating a mostly chronic lnha-
nation aud liberation around them
! and in them, separating, sometimes, a
mass which resemble and smells like
| cheese in lis stage of putTefactlon. This
| tuberculosis Is the most frequent cause
of lung consumption, but not in all
cases Is 1t the primitive cause, and, in
fact, there are good many cOnsump~
tive lungs without tuoercles, and
great many Influences which act so
weakening aud destructive on the
lungs that they often induce the deVel-
opment of tuberculosis after the lungs
began to be consumptive already. 1t
is true enough that there are
| families in which consumption
is hereditary, but the largest
number Of cOnsumptive lungs are con-
tracted by exposure to those Influences
| OF which [ am going to talk here, and
which if they are avoided IN time,
| will prevent and cure more cOnsump-
| ton Than all the remedies of medical
| art. ,Su6iata cdusa tGLjtWr etectnS
| with removal OF the cause the cOnse-
! quences will be removed.) This axiOma
good as long as the cause can be re-
moved before it proves so destructive
that recovery is beyond reach.
What are the causes, what are the
influences which are weakening and
destructive on our lungs?
Who has ever seen u pair of bellows
worked day and night for years and
years which would not be worn out
and entirely useless? But you can see
men who worked their bellows Qungs)
for the term Of q hundred years ana
still they are useful, doing their duty,
without repair? Are they the same
lungs which they had in their child
hOod2 No, in their lungs of old age
is probably not an atom left of those
thew had in their childhood. How is
that2 II is the reproducing power of
| nature which removes worn opt parts
and puts new ones in their places
This reproductive power is always
! and to the end of life in opposition
| and at war with the de-
structive Influences health and
life is exposed to, and the
more we are opposed to those de-
structive influences the less hope is
there for restoration of nOrmallty-
| health.
1t is therefore we'll worth while to
learn and examine those influences,
and to avoid or reduce them as much
as possible.
Besides hereditary predispOsitiOns to
phthysis, there are two main functions
! of the human system which have to
| be taken in consideration when talk
ing of prevention of pulmonary con-
sumption; they are: respiration"
and "Dutrition."
Respiration-Pnre air consists OF
nitrogen gas, 10 1900; oxygen gas,
20 S1-l00, aud carbOnic acid gas 100
in 100 parts. or these three gases the
oxygen is the most important in
respiration, as it not only changes the
venous blood iuto arterial, but also
creates the animal heat. If the per-
centage of oxygen would be reduced
from IT'S al Vi SO Ol-1OU ~ dDoub
IL life could not exist. Carbonic acid
gas is com monty 80 evenly mixed with
the air that it hardly can come in con-
sIderaliOn, except i'll closed rooms
where il either by respiration or fer
mentatiOn or other chemical possesses
could be created in such quantities
that it would act poisonous on life.
Nitrogen gas is inert in respiration,
nd
caIbonic acid in their proper diluted
form.
Now, if the proportions in the COM
position of the air would be always
the same, or neatly so, there
would be not much trouble on
account of respiration, but there are
sometimes so many mechanical, chem
icai and Organical changes and ed
mixtures in the air that those vino are
| not aware of them will open their
| eyes with establishment to find the
| great humber of invisible and i'm per-
| ceptable enemies TO human lungs and
t human lives.
! Just let Us take a walk through a
large city. There they walk, ride,
| drive, work, raising a great quantity
of visible and invisible dust of every
| description. In factories they file,
grind, work on rocks, there are in-
hume rable fires creating smoke (min-
ute particles of carbon, aud carbOniC
acid gas) which all is mixed with the
air you have to inhale.
There is great quantity of chemi-
cal exhalatiOns in houses and factO-
ries. All those gases mix with the
air you have to use.
| There are innumerabIe fermentinp
and dec aying substances spreading not
only obnoxious gases, but even those
invisible germs which can provoke
similar lamentations in organic sub.
stances and the human BODY, There
are localities not sufficiently veutila.
ted ; rooms. bedrooms, schools, public
and private meeting houses, saloons
churches, theatres, etc, where you
have to breathe air which had been in.
hailed aud exhaied again and again
which is so obnoz ious to lungs.
Ii we furthermore consider that q
person nhaIes 1900 to 5000 gallons o.
air every "a hours, it easily can be i'm
agiDed how much dust, how many
obnoxious gases and how many in.
visible germs and microscopical (often
contagious) animalcu 90 there must be
inhaled. 70 be exposed to so many
bad influences and not die in short
space of time is indeed only attribute
Die TO that marvelou Iestorative power
OF nature which shields us fir Dm dam
age like noble mother would protect
her child. But many a good mother