Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-11-17
How to Ward OF Consumption.

II a case of incipient CONSUMPTION
yields, as it often will, to careful and
unremitting treatment, the person SO
relieved must be more careful than ever
in his habits of life, in what he eats and
drinks, and how he dresses. The
enemy has made one assault at the
strongholds of his life and been repulsed
but that is no reason why he should not
return to the attack, especially if he
sees the gates left invitingly open for
him. am talking now Of individual
cases of consumption, where the patient
himself has to do most of the battle
against the foe. Consumption is, apart
from all hereditary influence, the dis
eas of the ill-fed, the badly clothed,
the breathers of impure air, the dwellers
in crowded cities with drainage at fault,
the laborers and toilers in crowded
shops and factories where ventilation is
imperfect. and where the atmosphere is
impregnated with obnoxious vapors or
dust.
1t is a disease, therefore, that may be
prevented, and be prevented to a
very large extent. | shall, therefore, I
think, be doing the best by my readers
if l lay down some simple rules for the
guidance of those who may be con
sumptively inclined, promising, how
ever, that at the first alarming symptom
or sign the advice of a medical man be
taken.
Consumption, then, is blood disease,
or disease of a constitutional nature,
and its first symptoms are stomachic in
their nature. There is a peculiar kind
OF dyspepsia, characterized by the ina
bility to digest, and probably a distaste
for certain articles of diet, such as fatty
meat, butter or sugar, and beer or
alcohol in any form. These turn sour
on the stomach, and heartburn is the
result, and a variety of other distress
ing symptoms. not the least painful
among them being fatulence. A form
OF dyspepsia of this kind could not
long exist without producing disease of
some kind, and in those who have a
tendency to the disorder the result is too
often consumption, set up or excited,
perhaps, by an attack of catarrh from
exposure in some way to cold and
damp. But indigestion, even in those
Of strong constitution, should always be
taken as a warning of something inn
pending. Dyspepsia is the dark
shadow cast before many a coming
event that may end in death to the suf-
ferer from this simple but insidious
complaint; it should never, therefore,
be neglected. But it must not be sup
posed that it can be removed by a few
boxes, a few bottles of mixture, or BY
medicine alone Of any kind. The
indigestion will yield only to regulation
of the whole system. A chance
should be made in the method of living.
Begin with the food; the diet should be
wholesome, simple, and we'll cooked.
Made dishes of every kind should be
avoided. For breakfast, which should
be taken by eight o'clock, preceded by
a short walk, if possible, weak coffee
with plenty Of milk will be found better
than tea, and cocoa is better than either;
toast, with butter, is preferable to bread,
and fish, eggs, ham, or cold meat may
be eaten Herewith. The meals must
not be hurried; if there be no one at the
table to carry on an agreeable CONVEX
sation with, q book or a newspaper
should be the companions; so will the
food be taken slowly enough to produce
that due admixture with the saliyary
juices which prevents the formation Of
acidlty. If breakfast be taken at eight,
at twelve or one some luncheon, how
ever light, should be taken. A dyspep-
tic patient should fast long, nor
ever eat much at one time. Dinner may
be preceded by hat light and pleasant
rejection called the afternoon tea. I
think soup for dinner is, as a rule, bet
ter avoided. Variety of dishes at any
one meal is to be avoided, while fish,
game, mutton, beef and fowl, with we'll
boiled potatoes and green vegetables,
used sparingly, should form the staple
OF diet. Condiments, rich sauces, pork,
fatty dishes and pastry should not be
taken, nor cheese; but a little ripe fruit
may, avoiding nuts as poison. Wine,
and ven beer, should be done without
if possible.
The supper should be light and not
sloppy, and so-called night-caps should
be avoided. The best tonics are-exer-
else in the open air, the soap-bath, an
occasional Turkish bath, and. when
ever it a be borne, a cold or at all
events a tepid~ sponge-bath before break
fast.
Cod-liver oil will do good if it can be
10y Ouo l 4OeoClOu Ine righteousness
OF what l may term cod-liver-oil cram
ming. A bitter vegetable tonic, such as
calumba infusion, with some mineral
acid, does good by increasing the appe-
tite, but it should be taken in small
doses often repeated. Good is done by
the use of the extract of malt, or malt
inc; it may be mixed with milk, or even
water, to which a little lime-juice is
added; If good lime-juice can not be
had, the pure juice of the lemon should
take it's place.
The bedroom should be quiet and
well aired. The bedclothes should be
light and warm, but not so much so as |
cause sweating. Flannel should be
worn next the skin; and
draughts, damp, fog, night air and east
winds avoided like the pestilence.
AS to change of climate to other lands,
let me just warn the incipiently phthis-
lcal to look we'll before they leap; they
may DO far better by staying at home
Cor. Harper's Baza1.