Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-05-23
Why Hearts Break.

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die of broken heart, we'll knowr
physician said. "A healthy heart is only
big muscle, and nobody can greve
enough to break it. When, therefore, 4
blooming young widow shows apparently
nconceivable grief at the death of hel
husband, and in hort time RECEIVERS hel
equanimity, she ought not to be accused
of hypocrisy. Neither may it be concud
ed that another widow who soon pines
and dies has more affection for her hus
band than the first The first widow may
have even more affection than the other
hut may have been sustained by physi
cal health.
cit is erroneous to suppose death by
heart disease is always sudden 1t is very
commonly prolracted for years, and exists
undetected by most skillful physicians
only to be developed by some sudden
occurrence. There was an eminent physi
clan of Brooklyn, in active practice, who
was within an honr of the time when he
died about to lecture. He was so well that.
after examination by skilled physicians in
a first class insurance company, he was
declared perfectly sound, and policy for
10000 insurance on his lite reached
his home before his body was cold.
The cause of death was a mystery
until the post mortem examination by DR..
johnson, OF Brooklyn, showed that a little
piece of chalky deposit in the heart had
become loosened and formed an embolism.
The man had simply taken some speci
mems out of his desk, and he died in his
chair without any excitement or undue
effort. ANY little excitement might have
done it, and then his death would have
been cited as that from broken heart.
so called deaths from broken hearts
may be frequently traced in this way
One excltion rs well as another may
furnish the required elimination Medi-
cal books are filed with instances of
death by heart disease during the
performance of pleasureable functions.
When man is nearly dead it is easy to
put on him the finishing stroke, but it is
inaccurate to give the finishing touch all
the blame OF his death. When Il woman
loses her husband, or a girl loses her
lover and by nervous exhaustion, loss Of
sleep, lack of nourishment and grief,
weakens the action of the heart, she is
said to die of broken heart, but she has,
INTACT. died of very ordinary disease.
1.-The case of Bill Poole, living for ten
days with bali in his heart, is often
spoken of as remarkable, but DIR. Flint
records case where man had ball in
his heart, twenty years, and finally died
with pnuemonia. Both these men had
healthy hearts and could not have had
them broken by grief. Yet, in fact, more
women than men die of heart disease. Out
of siXty-one observed cases, thirty-sevcn
were males. Another record shows that
in sixty-two cases of rupture Of the heart
there was fatty degeneration existing
One observer recorded seventeen cases
out of twenty.four where the heart was
r. ptured and where fatty degeneration
existed, In other words, where fat is sub
stitutcd for muscle, the organ is easll,
broken. If any of these people had been
subjected 10 sudden grief, they might have
furnished illustrations of heart breaking
One medical observer records 100 cases
of rupture of the heart where there
was no grief to account for it. In fact,
grief is a very rare cause for heart break
ing.
Disease is the real cause of heart break
ing, and the various kinds of disease
which lead to it are so many that volumes
would be necessary to describe them
The causes of these diseases are manifold
and are very much under the control of
the individuals. There are of course,
hereditary tendencies to heart di,ease !;
but aside from traumatic causes, these
tendencies may exist for years without
fatal results.
"It is certain fact that the least dan
gerous heart disease often creates the
most apprehensions. Fir, r,quently patien.s
who have only functional or durable
disorder will not be persuaded that ca
lamity does not impend: although, h,there
may be no real danger. On the other
hand, organic diseases may exist unsus-
pected. There are sympathetic relations
between the mind and the heart and
disorders OF the heart are frequently trace
able to mental excitement, either pleasur-
able or painful. Quick beating of the
heart is no certain symptom of danger.
1t has been demonstrated that the pulse
may safely range from 100 to l40 per
minute for many years.