Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-07-18
CONSUMPTION

asS
with with a acc cough or soreness Of the lungs. but
usually with debility. weakness, languor,
dyspepsia or catarrh. The most common
aud most fatal form is that In which tuber-
lungs. These are small cheesy kernels, that
ususlly lie dormant for many months, even
for years, showing their presence only BY
shortening the breath and weakening the
frame. aud inducing languor and Inability
to walk fast. or far, or work hard.
The young wife. settling into decline.
leans more heavily ON the husbands arm
Once she walked lightly with him step for
step. now she leans, ano complains that he
walks so fast, aud puts her all out Of breath.
She gets better for while In brighter wealth
err, and then withou evident cause sinks
lower than before; and thus rises aud sinks,
perhaps, many times before the tubercles
she coughs. at first and perhaps for q long
time. dry, hacking cough; then 1t becomes
moist and softer. and she raises matter either
sS s 9, sas sD Ss sssssp Or s ts
the white Of an egg. Is is usually looked
upon as OF no great account, but treated as &
common cold. the patient mot deigning to
Il he !. e called Hf ss sp % make light q sffs
and advise some simple thing. Tho patient
waits and hopes, but Is annoyed to And she
does not get rid OF It; thinks 1t bad cold,
that hangs on worse than any she ever had
u
ings, and fears she has caught more cold.
but cannot account for IT,
The following are the more com
mon signs of this form OF consumption:
First, lassitude, or languor. or shortness OF
breath. with disposition 10 gasp OF sigh or
catch for breath. At this stage IL is easily
cured. II the patient tries the sperometer
he finds that he cannot breathe an average
amount, perhaps by forty or hfty inches
not that the tuSercies I'LL so much space, but
that they weaken the power OF imitation and
expulsion Of air. Young girls, at this stage,
are prone to lean on the parasol In walking,
to ioll and sit at ease, Tor any exertion .puts
them out OF BREATH They like TO recline
on the sofa, or lounge in a rocking chair.
They relInquish many of their previous and
draw from Inc dance, or skniing. or amuse-
ments requiring lively or vigorous move
menf, aud prefer 10 look on, rarely dreaming
that the time is fast approaching when they
and the skates will 60 on Just as merrily
perhaps without them, II the lungs be
carefully examined with the proper instru-
ments at this stage they sound dull under
the AND give no souno al
more commonly over the middle lobe Of the
healthy sound, 1t Is changed Int creaking
called crepitation-but very faint.
This sound cannot be detected through the
garments, nor through any of them. nor can
the dizziness be detected through them with
the hammer. There is no resort In tho prac-
tice of medicine more absurd and pernicious
than thatof pretending TO examine the lungs
with the fingers OF one hand drumming on
those Of the other over the chest; and what
makes II still more worthless Is the
doing. OF II over garments that
than the one for which the practitioner Is
supposed to be listening. Such examine
lions beguile the patients, until the disease
Is 50 deep as to pass all hopes OF recovery.
duties Of life are carried on as usual only
with an increasing disposition to rest and
sit dow while at work, till the patient is
often considered more lazy than sick"
common located practice. he declares after
one Of those shiftless, faulty examinations
with his fingers. that the lungs are all right;
only Q little irritation OF the tubes. Oh,
this fatal blindness rhe patient returns
conferred, and tries, perhaps, some cough
drops or expectorant TO loosen the cough,
and begins to raise the "'phlegm" much
more easily but after while complains OF
some nausea after eating, and hollowness
pepsia, brought on by the depressing cough
drops, or trochee. or expectorants. which
are all made Of some drug, which taken In
larger doses produce sickness At the stomach
pectorants hasten on the disease ut much
accelerated rate; and complicate 1t with
others that make 1t much more dtmcult to
cure. But even a. this stage. b, judicious
system Of inhalation, proper diet, habits,
tonics and change OF air, 1t Is easily brought
under control. We cannot too deeply con-
denim and deplore the free use Of troches,
cough drops, and expectorants Of all kinds.
They hurry many to the g. ave, and In 9th
ers induce dyspepsia, rose catarrh or fever.
hay asthma and other troubles indicative of
perverted tone OF the mucous membrane.
In the succeeding stages Of the disease the
aggravated, and to these are commonly add
cd some or all Of the following: In the
woman the monthly discharges cease or be-
come scsnty: the mind becomes, 20 to say,
eapricious, the hopes being at one moment
unduly elated, and perhaps the next more
depressed and moody, and there Ia mark
ed disposition to shed tears over touching
| scenes and stories. and to laugh heai tily at
the slightest absurdities or witticisms the
emotions become very sensitive and tender,
and this is most observable at night. when
q cold, clammy sweat ewakens the patient
from unquiet sleep, and gives reins TO the
to be purple or black and dry; flush fire..
quently appears ON the cheek; the white Of
the eye becomes OF mother-of-pearl APP
pearance; the cough deepens and extends
from morning till night. and from night till
morning. even sometimes continuing
through sleep that brings little refreshment;
the spit or sputa IL salt and yellow and of
bad taste, aud increases In quantity from
catch cold; the voice becomes huskyor hol-
low, or unduly sonorous; the periods OF ex-
ercise grow shorter with the shortening
breath, and less and less frequently, the
walk OF a few rods being sumcientt TO induce
fatigue; the chest become. tender. even to
q slight percussion, and 1t Is now generally
conceded that the patient is In . decline,
or wasting fever, or perhaps the bold word
Consumption is used. and by or before this
who says consumption caunot be cured
recognizes the foe with which he
has so long been dealing, and advises
codliver oil, or the r-phosPhates, or
| folly In the treatment Of this dread disease,
and perhaps change Of air to the south,
and probably sanctions plaster to the
| chest or between the shoulders, or covers
| these parts with croton oil or tartarized an
| timony. oh, I. Ii pitiful to see such help
lessness at such q time, the last precious
| days in which there may be ground fol
hopel Thus soon passes; the patient lies
the the whole day is spent in bed; and nov the
| cough Is so harrassing and the discharge SC
| copfous that the nurse holds up the patients
head that the sputa may be thrown into q
| capricious, the stomach feeble; probably
| the tubercles ripen and slough In the bow
| els, giving rise to persistent and exhaustine
| though mild diarrh@a. There lisa constant
| sense Of want Of breath that Is sometimes
| ted to the cough. Even at this late stage the
| patient will sometimes sit up In bed and
write words Of love and hope 10 some dis
| tant friend, and make promises OF visits and
| talk of worldly affairs; If woman, will
| speak OF what she Is to wear when she gets
| well, and hos she Will dress her hair, ETC.,
| and the CIT minute may be found In tears
| as she suspects she may never recover. But
| why follow this declining life into the deep
| darkness to which 1t so swiftly and surely
| tends9 All ground for hope Is long since
| gone. 1t took years, perhaps, to do the
| work, but 1t Is done. The reason consump
| ton is so seldom cured Is that II Is not rec