Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-03-31
Pneumonia

A prominent physician writes to the
New York Tines: 1t is not we'll to get
up . panic about pneumonia without
pointing out some of its causes and RENEE
dies. Among ite most common causes
are cold and wet, aided by thin under.
clothing, either by night or day, or both,
thin shoes and stockings, etc. 1t is sur
prising to find how many men and women
wear thin undertaking by day, and on
ly one thin garment at night, and that
often of linen, while cold linen sheets
are not uncommon, wen in mid winter.
Many sever colds and pneumonias are
prevented by attention to these simple
matters, and many are cured by merely
putting on an extra garment at night,
even q flannel sack, and sleeping between
thick, warm muslin or thin flannel sheets.
These are also the first precautions which
should be taken when attacked by pneu-
mSnia, and many q valuable life is lost
by inattention to them. It is we'll known
that in the young and healthy acute
Pneumonia is less fatal than in those who
are otherwise not healthy or strong and
those more advancedin life. This would
suggest that the deterioration not only of
the lungs, but of the other great vital
organs, %withdraws such aid as they could
otherwise afford when they are fresh and
vigorous.
In fact, by far the majority of cases
where pneumonia is found we generally
discover some %pre-existing and more
chronic disease in some other organ of the
body; it may be the heart, liver, kidneys,
bowels, etc. In fatal cases it ia not
enough that we should find pneumonia
and say the patient died of it, but we
should also learn why that particular
person succumbed to it, an inquiry too
often forgotten and slurred over. Some
times the intensity of the pneumonia il
very great, and sufficient to account for
death; but sometimes neither the extent
nor severity of the attack sufices to
make clear the cause of the fatal result.
Then we may have to look for some OBJ
scure disease of the head, or chronic dis
ease of the stomach, bowels, liver, or
kidneys which has not received the at
tention whichitdeserved. These disorders
also often interfere with the action of the
remedies especially adapted to relieve
pneumonia.
Then there are the great so-called foul
air: pneumonias, caused by overheated,
badly ventilated houses, with or without
subsequent exposure to very cold outdoor
air. Bad plumbing, foul street, gutter,
sewer and dock air, especially the bad
air in the tenement-house districts,
make many colds and pneumonias malig-
nant. The sudden occurrence of a warm
spell of weather when the streets and
yards are loaded with filth will almost
create an epidemic; and the converse Of
this is true-viz.: when slight or severe
or malignant colds are contracted from
the inhalation of foul air during the
thawing weather, and the patient, being
not yet quite sick enough to stay in the
house, is exposed to one of those severe
cold snaps or billiards which have pre-
| vailed this winter perhaps more frequent
ly and suddenly than is common. Many
other diseases, like measles, rheumatism,
typhoid-fever, etc., are often followed by
pneumonia, especially when the bed
and body clothing are not warm enough.
All those with a consumptive tendency
should be especially careful, and it i
well-known that many surgical cases are
followed by py@mic or septicemic pneu-
monia. In fact, if we find pneumonia in
the form of small, isolated patches, we
must remember thatit lis always secondary
to some other disease. In short, pneu-
monia is the attendant by natural termi-
nation of many other diseases, and is apt
to be considered as the principal disorder,
whereas it was a secondary but most
dangerous complication.