Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-01-24
WHAT PNEUMONIA is.
Some Facts About Very Common aud Dangerous
| Illness.

From November to May every one
occasionally is shocked by the unexpect-
ed announcement of the comparatively
sudden death of some acquaintance or
friend from Pneumonia.
A notable proportion of all the cases
OF pneumonia are preceded by chill.
just here word concerning the me-
chanism of a chill would very much
help to make plain the nature of this
disease. In various parts of the body,
notably the skin and lungs, there are
many small arteries; these are elastic
tubes. BY a number of circumstances
these tubes are caused to contract.
Under exposure to a low temperature
is very active IN the production of this
arterial contraction, and it is much
more prone to take place in feeble than
IN robust persons. When the arteries
| here referred to are contracted to their
| smallest diameter the containing ca
pacity of the arterial system Is much
lessened, while the quantity of the
blood remains unchanged. BY these
occurrences extra work is at once pu,
upon the heart in forcing the blood into
the arteries, and by the same chain OF
events the vessels are subjected to ex-
traordlnary pressure from within. I'm
der these conditions some of the many
small arteries of the lungs presently be-
come over-distended They are now
unable to longer contain their contents
the blood--the elements of which now
leak out into the air spaces and there
| coagulates. This essentially is pneu-
monia, by it as much of the lungs as is
thus blocked up is practically useless
for the time being, and the proper cir
culation of the blood is much impeded.
In feeble persons the approach OF
pneumonia is often very insidiops and
in some cases the disease is fully es-
tabllshed before its existence is sus-
pected. This may be due to the fact
that at times the symptoms point di-
rectly away from the affected organs
for instance, to the brain, as is evidence
ed by cunvulsions in children and early
delirium in the case of adults. Briefly,
the symptoms of pneumonia are as fol-
lows, namely: general indisposition--
malaise; one severe chill or frequent
small ones; cough, with pain in the side
from coincident pleurisy; Tire skin is
hot and dry; the heart beats hard and
fast; the breathing is labored and rapid
the digestive apparatus is also disturbed.
AT the onset children may vomlt and
be convulsed, as just mentioned. In
deed, when much of the lung is blocked
up every organ in the body is more or
less deranged. This is mostly due to
the impeded circulation and to altera-
tons in the character of the blood, es-
pecially the retention in it of undue
amounts of carbon, which acts as a poi
son and blunts the activity of the or
ganism, and the patient finally perishes
by this, or the blood becomes so disor-
gained that it can no longer be circu-
lated and the patient is destroyed by
'heart clot.n
The treatment ofspneumoma must be
left exclusively to the physicians, but
while waiting the coming of the doctor,
efforts should be made to relieve the
initial chill. To this end hot draughts
of any kind may be given the patient,
and warm baths, followed by frictions
of the skin, may be made use of. Hot
footballs and bottles of hot water,
tightly corked, placed in the patients
bed are also useful. Much pain in the
side would suggest the use thereon OF
mustard plasters. Pneumonia is one
OF the diseases that can occasionally be
limited by appropriate treatment in its
incipiency, for which reason it is pru-
dent to have medical advice carly
Philadelphia Times