Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-05-29
ON ASTHMA.

1T Is A COMMON ERROR to suppose every
disease which Is attended by oppressed breath
ny " bo ASTHMA or PiIrHIslc. We have short
ness OF breath In Consumption, Bronchitis and
Pneumonia, Just As we do In Asthma, only I,
these diseases II In always present, whereas In
Asthma 1t occurs in paroxysins.
Asthma IL spasnotie diseass OF the lungs,
which msnifests itself In periodic attacks
" hts" IL comes on suddenly, and is attended
with great difficulty OF breathing while 1t lasts.
but when the attack Is over the patient breathes
almost ~ well rs In health.
/. The Asthmatic 1T m come on at any time,
day or night. but most commonly occurs after
midnight and before morning. The patient ls
suddenly awakened by difficulty OF breathing,
feeling Of We ght, or construction Of the chest.
II feels rs though II were bound. He sits up in
beu, pants or ga-ps for breath, and In bad cases.
calls for tbe doors and windows to be- thrown
open. Persplra,ion stands out In large drops ON
the forehead, the face looks haggard, the lips
are livid, the extreinities cold, and the heart
beating violently.
Persons badly afflicted with this disease are,
during tho fit. insensible To everything save the
desire for AIR. l have known them to rush to
the open wiRdow and hang over the sill for hours
In midwinter, utterly regardless of the cold.
The feeling Is precisely that Of impending suifo-
cation, and the poor sufferer endures for a time
all the agony Of DRowNDING or slow sTRANG-
ULATlUN.
But happily for the patient, his confidence
never deserts him. He feels that IL will soon be
over, and then he will get relief. After a-longer
or shorter period, according 10 the severity Of
the case--generally few hours--the TIGHT.
NEs5 at the bottjm Of the chest relaxes. the
breathing becomes deeper, the patient can
SPEAK and COUGH without difficulty and be-
eins to expsctorate freely. AZ length, worn out
by the intensity Of his s,ifarngs he falls asleep,
and the attack is at an ind.
NERVOUS. HUMID and DRY ASTHMA are
names given to different forms Of this disease.
EMPM fbEMA IL another and more inveterate
knd Of Asthma, while Hay Fever CT Rsse cold Ia
q peculiar variety VI Asthma which occurs at q
Certain season Of the year. Each OF these forms
OF disease differ somewhat from the others in
symtoins, but practically the II distinctions are
OF very little value. Il does MT matter to the
patient which form OF Asthma he has since his
sufferings are the same In all In one case the
cxpectoration becomes yellow. and We call 1t
bronchial. III another u is light, and we cali It
dry. When he coughs up clear water, With
white freth on the surface. we say he has humOr-
al asthma. In nervous asthma there IL very
little expectoration Of any kind. Hay fever al
ways begins as crying cold In the head or In.
huenzx, and q clear water runs from the nose
and the eyes for some time before the Asthma
ut comes on. lnlemphysein tn. expectoration
is generally thick, aud CONTINUES 80 in the inter
val between the fits, while the shortness Of
breath is increased on the slightest exertion
There 10 no rule which can bo said TO be uni
form u Asthma. In one person the disease will
entirely pass on after a single attack, and rs-
hiniH well tof WoeHH Nhttuth turkc Will U6
several fits In succession. with only short inter
walls between them, and then the patient ESCAPES
Tor longer periJd. In some the dts occur repu-
larry At stated tiInes. Some ssthmatics breath
best In the ty, while Others cannot pass night
in town without suffering an attack One pre-
fers the low land o. place Of residence, and an
other can only sleep on high ground. 4 particu-
lar exposure VI n room will often make differ
encr, and hive known people who c. uld sleep
on one side ei street and not on the opposite.
he nm ff har uuI nl ff.x,a ~.
with many Is sufficient te bring on q pAroxysm.
Some cannot drive behind horses, or endure
cat In the same room.
All this must seem strange and almost absurd
70 those who know nothing Of the disease BY ex-
perisnce, bat those who are afflicted with 1t up-
derstand the matter. Bs sensitive are some peo-
pie that they cannot enter q drug store where
ipecacuanha Il k.p. without experiencing an op-
preston In breathing.
Asthma depends more on atmospheric causes
than other lung Diseases. The mucous mem
braBe IL morbidly SENSITIVE to every change In
the air, In the excess or deficiency Of it's ozone
In the presence of smoke or dust; In its temperA-
tnre. humidity. or even inprsgnsnce With the
deiicats fragrance Of flowers and pants Few
people have any idea OF the powerful influence
exerted for good or III by what we inhale. The
air is the great source from whence we contract
most diseases and 1t is only by employing II ~
the carrier Of remedies that many Of them can
be cured. This Is peculiarly the case with all
diseases Of the air passage and lungs. Of none
more 10 than Asthma
It b foolish conceit OF many people 10 be-
lieve that II they have Asthma they cannot get
consumption. The truth h the very opposite.
They are more liable 70 fall into consumption
because they have Asthma. Another idea Is,
that Asthma it,eif 10 not dangerous disease,
ann yet the pubtishei bills Of mortality for this
city prove 70 all Who read them that great NUM-
bers lose their lives every year.
without courage and pefseverAnce nothing is
cnrablc. But with these, aided by proper and
skllfulI treatment, Asthma can generally be
cured even after the lungs arc extensively dis
exed And this can only be done by the proper
use Of Msdicated Limitations which reach every
part Of the deascssed surfaces, thus rendering
lung diseases as anenAble 20 treatment and ~
easily cured - any other class Of diseases.
n. HILTON WILLIAMS, N. D.,
275 North Main Street, Las Angeles, Cal.
r. s.-0PFIcE HouRs, from 10 A. \. to p n:
Sunday from To r. p n