Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-05-30
ON ASTHMA.

1T Is COMMON ERROR to suppose every
disease which Is attended by oppressed breath.
| ng to be ASTHMA or rHrnIsIc. We have short
ness OF breath in CONSUMPTION. Bronchitis and
Pneumonia, Just Ms We do In Asthma, only IL
| these diseases it Is always present, whereas In
Asthma 1t occurs in parox ysins.
| Asthms Is a spaslnotie disesss OF the lungs
which manfests itself In periodic attacks or
| it's IL comes Oh suddenly, and is attended
with great difficulty OF breathing while II lasts.
| but when the attack Is over the patient breathes
almost as we'll as in health.
| The Asthniatic lit m come on ut any time,
| day or night. but most commonly occurs after
midnight and befole morning. The patient Is
suddenly awakened by difficulty Of breathing,
feeling Of we ght or construction Of the chest.
1t feels IS though 1t we're bound lie sits up IN
bed, pauts or ga-ps for breath, and Ia bad cases.
calls for toe doors and windows to be thrown
open. Perspiration stands out In large drops ON
the forehead. the face looks hageard, the lips
are livid,. the extremities cold. and the heart
beating violently.
Persons badly afflicted with this disease arc,
during the Gt. insensible to everything save the
desire for arr. ] have known them to rush to
the open wiRdow and hang over tho sill for hours
In midxIn.er. utterly regardless Of the cold.
The feeling is precisely that Of impending suffo-
cation, and the poor sufferer endsres for time
ULATiUN.
But happily for the patient, his confidence
never deserts him. He feels that ii will soon be
over, and then he viii get relief. After longer
or shorter period, according 10 the severity VI
the case--gensrsliy few hours-the Tl0iiT-
NESS at the bptt,m Of the chest ielaxes. the
breathing becomes deeper, the patient can
SPEAK and COUGH without difficulty and be-
aims to expsctorAte freely. At length, worn out
by the intensity Of his sufcrngs, he fails asleep,
IN NERVOUS. N, s HUMID Il n and DRY AsfHnA are
names given to different forms Of this disease.
EMpM YSEMA is another and more inveterste
KIND Of Asthma, while Hay Fever cr Rese cold Is
a peculiar variety Of Asthma which occurs at
certain season OF the year. Each OF these forms
o, disease differ somewhat from the Others In
syintoins. but practically these Distinctions are
Of very little value. Ii does MT matter to the
patient which form Of Asthma he has since his
sunerings are the same In all In one case the
expectoraiion bscomes yellow, and we cali il
bronchial. In another II is light, and we cali II
dry. When he coughs up clear water, with
white freth on the surfate. We say he has hunior
al asthma. In e.v0us asthma there Is very
little expectoration Of any kiad. Hay fever a.
ways begins as a crying cold in the head or in
huenza, and q clear water runs from the nose
and the eyes for some time before the Asthma
fit comes on. lnIemphyse th expectoration
Is generally thick. aud continues so in the inter-
val between the fits. while the shortness Of
breath Is increased on the slightest exertion.
There is no rule which can be said 10 be uni
form in Asthma In one person the disease will
main well for weeks In antther there will be
several fits IN succession. with only short inter
walls between them, and then the patient escapes
for longer periDd In some the dts occur regu
larIy at stated timcs. Some ssthmatics breath
best In the city, while Others cannot pass night
ih town without suffering an attack. One pre-
fefs the low land as place Of residence, and an
other can only sleep on high ground. paIticu
ence, aud have known people who c uld sleep
on one side of street and not on the opposite.
The smell OF hay, roses and even Of the stable.
with many Is sufficient ts bring on paroxym.
II ttat ind
cat In the same room.
All this must seem strange and almost absurd
TO those who know nothing Of the disease 10y ex-
perience. but those who are afflicted with IL uD
derstand the matter So sensitive are some peo
pie that they cannot enter drug store where
ipecacuanha Is k pt without experiencing an op-
preston in breathing.
Asthma depends more on atmospheric causes
than other lung diseases. The mucous mem.
brsBe Is morbidly sensitive to every change in
the air in the excess or deficiency OF its ozone
in the presence of smoke or dust; In its tempera
ture, humidity, or even inpregnanee with the
delicate fragrance Of flowers and plants. Few
people have any idea Of the powerful influence
exertei for good or III by what we inhale. The
air Is the great source from whence we contract
most diseases and Il is only by employing II Is
the carrier OF remedies that many of them can
be cured This Is PECULIARLY the case with all
dseas Of the air passage and lungs, OF none
more so than Asthma.
1t IL foolish conceit Of many people to be-
leye that il they have Asthma they cannot get
consumption. ifhe truth Is the very opposite.
They are more liable to falI into consumption
because they have Asthma Another idea is,
that Asthma itself Is not dang rous disease,
ann yet the published bills Of mortality for this
city prove 10 all who read them that great mum
bers lose their lives every year
without courage and perseverance nothing is
cHrabie. But with these. aided by proper and
skiilfull treatment, Asthma can generally be
cured even after the lungs are extensively dis
eised. And this can only be done by the proper
use Of Medicated Limitations which reach every
part Of the deaseased surfaces, thus rendering
lung diseases as amenable 20 treatment and a.
easily cured As any other class Of diseases
NJ. HILTON WILLIAMS, M. D.,
275 North Main Street, las Angeles, Cal.
p s-OFFIcE HouRs, from 10 A. n. to ?. ~:
Sunday from to 6 r. n