Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-05-03

Ar Investlsaaiea of the Causes Of yhese
Dark EorebodtRgs which Make
Powerful Wen Weak.

lG-icea kale.
Much apprehension HIS been occ.-
stoned throughout America from the
announcement made by Profess or Proc
tor that tie return in nineteen wears of
the great comet of last summer will
cause the destruction of the earth. But
while people are becoming 30 strangely
exercised over this announcement, an
event of far more serious importance,
which Is taking place today, seems to
be almost wholly overlooked. The ra-
ture of this most vital subject can be
best explained by relating ths following
experiences:
Bishop f. q. Haven. known to the en-
tire land, was unaccoUutably awakened
one night out OF sound sleep, and Law
awake until morning. His mind seem
ed unusually active, and he not only re-
viewed his past life. which been an
eventful one, but laid extensive plans
for the future. He did not feel especi-
ally i'll, but coald not account for the
unusual activity of his b-ain. nor for
the res.lessne5s which seemed to pos
sess min, In the morning he had bat
little appetite, but was apparently well
in other respects. In few DAYS. how
ever, he began TO feel restless and NOR
bid, although he tried earnestly to over
CONS the feeling which had taken pos
ses sion of him. But try as he would
the shadow of some evil seemed to fol-
| low him, and he was conscious of a
| gradual sinking and wasting away of
all his physical faculties. He had been
an earnest and diiigent worker, and in
his zeal frequently over-taxed his
strength. and being absorbed in his
duties failed TO observe the common
| symptoms with which he was afflicted.
thus permitting the work of destruction
| to 90 on UNDECIDED. But the end finailv
| came III mos. peremptory manner.
Shortly before his death he wrote let
| ter-the last one he ever indited-in
which he speaks as follows: "A belize
that death Is near affects different
| minds differently, but probably all who
are IN fair condition of physical and
| mental strength instinctivsly shrink
from 1t with an indeiinable dread and
horror dying man Is no more able
of himself to foreses his own destiny
or the destiny of those he leaves than
he was before he began TO die
The recent sad and sudden death of
Hon. Carlson n. Potter is one of ii o
most serious warnings ever given liz the
long list of innumsrabls Cases of fatal
| neglect. 1t is not sufficient to sag that
many other brillian. men, including
Everett, Sumner, Chase, Wood, Wilson
and Carpenter, We're swep. away by the
same fatal trouble. The question is.
| were these men sufficiently careful of
their health, and could they have been
| saved! The Albany Argus, in speaking
of Mr.. Potter's sudden illness and
death, slys:
Zone IF the physicians who attended
! MIR. Potter here was interviewed last
| evening. He stated that Mr.. Potter's
| inability to converse had for some time
served to battle the physicians in their
efforts to determine the root of his ill
ness. 1t seems, however, that MIR. Pot
| ter, some two years ago, suffered 4
| slight attack OF kidney disease. In
wise dependence upon robust consti-
tuition and naturally perfect health, and
| neglect Of proper clothing, doubtiessly
sowed the seeds of . disease that need
ed but some such personal neglect as
| that of Tuesday morning to develop.
From the symptoms at first shown, it
was thought that his only trouble was
nervous prostration: but his long con-
tinuance in semi-unconscious state
led to the belief that his illness was
seated in a chronic difficulty more mys-
| FERROUS and dangerous
Up to the latter part of last year Mr..
Edward +. Rsok, member of the New
York stock exchange, was doing bust
| ness in Wall street, New York. de had
| everything to encourage him, and make
life happy, bu. was the victim of unac-
countable uneasiness. His experience
as described by one who knew, was as
follows: AT unexpected times, and on
occasions when he had the greatest rea-
son to feel joyous he was irritable and
haunted with strange feelings of dis |
content. He endeavored to check these |
feelings and appear pleasant, but it re-
quired a great effort to do so; after |
which he would again relapse into his |
former morbid mood. This feeling |
continued for number of months |
when he became conscious of an added |
sensation Of lassitude. He was tired |
even when resting, and although expert |
encing no acute pain, had dull, aching |
sensations}in his limbs and various parts |
of his body. Shortly afterward his |
head began to ache most frequently |
and his stomach failed to digest proper, |
iy. Being told that he was suffering |
from malaria he consulted an eminent |
physician, who informed him that his |
kidneys were slightly affected, and gave |
him medicine tn restore them. But he |
grew worse instead of better. He then |
consulted other eminent doctors of an |
other school and was informed that he |
had brain difficulty somewhat in the 7
| nature of tumor, but IN spite of all |
efforts to the contrary he continued to \
grow worse. At this time his condition
was terrible. What were at first simple
symptoms had developed to terrible
troubles. He was flushed and feverish, |
constantly uneasy, and yet always
weary. He had an intense appetite one
day and very little the next. His pulse
was irregular, his breathing labored,
and every moment of existence was a
burden. These disastrous symptoms
continued, his face and body became
discoiored, his heart was irregular in its
action. and his breath came in short,
convulsivs gasps. He grew constantly
worse, notwithstanding the utmost pre-
cautions of his friends and finally died
in the greatest agony. After his death
an examinations as to its actual cause
was made, when his brain was found to
be in perfect condition, and tho roa-
son of his decease was of an entirely
different nature.
The experiences which have been
cited above all had a common cause and
we're each the result Of one disease.
That disease which SO deccitfully, yet |
surely, removed the the people above
mentioned WAS Brient's disease of the
kidneys. In the case Of Mr.. Rock, the
examination after death, while showing |
the brain to be in perfect condition, rc-
vealed the terrible fact that he was the
.victm of slight kidney trouble, which /
had como on unchecked, until it re-
suited in acute Bright's disease. The
leading physicians and scientists Of the |
world are fast learning that more than |
one-haif the deaths which occur arc |
caused by this monstrous scourge. 1t is |
one of the most dccsitful maladies ever |
known to the human race. Itmanifssts |
itself by symptoms SO slight and com
mon as to seem unworthy of attention;
and yet these very insignificant symp- |
toms are the first stages Of the worst |
complaint known in the history Of the |
world. Thousands of people have died |
from troubles that are called heart dis |
ease. apoplexy, pneumonia, brain fever,
and similar diseases, when 1t was, In |
fact, Bright's disease of the kidneys.
The ravages of this disease havs been |