The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1885-01-02

The eye of the praetised physician, with
his chemical case. can very soon ascertain
that the dreaded disease is or has fastened
upon his patient, and then comes the quesA
ton, How far has it gone. or, perhaps, Can
it be cured This albumen is one of the
most peculiar and valuable objects for me-
chanicaI uses. and one of the most dreaded
of objects when found in the urine of the
man or woman who has been entirely too
free with the good things of life. or having
a happy time of it, believing that "a short
life and a merry one" is the proper thing.
Now when the physician finds this present,
he has one of two things to do. Treat
what is left, or make the matter as well as
he can until the end. OF course they do
not all tell you this quite so plainly as we
are writing it, but the plain fact is that
whenever albumenuria fastens upon a per-
son, if it is for the moment partly cured, it
will, as the patient grows Older, or as he is
subjected to anxiety, worry, change of eli
mate, water, or obliged to travel very
much or be broken up in his habits, as
surely come on again as that death IT.
self comes. Blu meantime other physical
changes take place, and the trouble in
most cases is that the process goes on for
months without the patient being aware of
the fact; first, the specific gravity of the
urine changes and it is growing heavier,
then albumen is present; at first in small,
afterwards in larger quantities, and if the
person or the physician examines it with a
microscope he will be surprised to find
small tubes looking like worms, and at
this stage there is very little hope indeed
of any recovery at all. Now there must
he something taken from some other por-
ton of the blood or tissues in order to make
this substance which should not be there.
This is what takes place: Albumen is one
of the nutritive~ principles of the blood; its
being taken out makes the blood thinner,
and this is taken out of the Serious or watery
portion of the blood, so that the blood Is
made weaker, less capable of sustaining
human life in health, or giving that elias
ITCHY to the body and vigor to the mind.
And it also makes bad work in another d-
~rection: making the blood thinner, causes
it to filter out of the veins and arte-
ries into the cells of the body, and this
process is called by the physician cellu-
lar dropsy. or dndsared. This kin of
dropsy is not lone when it begins some
where, but goes all over the system or
frame. 1t may begin in the foot or face.
head or body proper. Whenever it begins,
it spreads rapidly over the whole body and
limbs. 1t causes pain in the back, q grad
ual falling of the yigor of the health and
the subject becomes Indifferent to all exer-
else. takes less and less interest in every
thing around him or her, digestion is at
fected, there is no wish to, or pleasure in.
eating or sleeping: and the whole system is
out of bias, the skin gradually changes
from the flush of health to a pale, perhaps
white. sickly pallor, aS once denoting a
bIoodless appearance; thirst comes on.
sickness at the stomach, and vomiting after
a while. pain in the back of the head, faint
ness. difficulty of breathing, short breath
and all the ills that it would seem the body
is heir to.
One of the peculiarities of this disease
when it has fairly set in, is that hen you
press the hand, wherever the points of
your fingers impress themselves i'll the
flesh. it will remain white and show plain
ly where you have pressed your fingers. for
sometimes several minutes. There is a pc
culiar ~wrinkling around the eyes and cor
ners of the mouth. Meantime the urine
becomes thicker as well as lighter than in
health, and has a great deal of different
matter in it than appeared in health, none
of which can be seen without a microscope
and careful examination. The retaining
of the urea in the blood acts as a poison
which is very peculiar in its action, and as
the disease progresses it causes commissions,
drowsiness. apoplexy, sometimes, but not
often, paralysis, and then comes relief to
the patient who has suffered a Thousand
deaths already, and in some of the snd-
den deaths to which We awe referred, he
is taken off by death.
Over-eating is one of the chief causes of
Bright's disease: eating too much improp-
er food, drinking spirits and fermented
liquors. All these things greatly aggra-
vate this disease in its first stages. So
many of our public men die of this disease
that it is eminently proper that the public
should be guarded in their use of liquors,
especially fermented ones, which are very
impure, as frequent analysis has recently
proved. In fact, it is stated on the best
authority, DIR. John King, that worms are
frequently found in the urine of beer
drinkers-lively, active fellows, who seem
possessed of great vigor.
Whenever Bright's disease in its first
forms is discovered, the ~strietest temper
ance in eating, drinking, sleeping and rest
should be observed. All liquors. spirits.
coffee, tea should be serupulously avoided,
and so all pastry and richly-seasoned food,
grease, meats cooked with the usual amount
of grease and gravies, everything which
can obstruct or retard digestion. The best
medical advice shculd be promptly sought,
and every precaution taken TO keep from