Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-02

7 UI
tario; for three years associate physician OF
the Chicago and Cincinnati Throat and
Lung Institute: for fifteen years, and still
| proprietor of the Detroit Throat and Lung
of the ontario Pulmonary Institute and
Health Resort at Toronto, Ontario. Over
60,C00 cases treated by us during the past
nineteen years.
GN ASTHMA.
1t is a common error to suppose every
disease which is attended by oppressed
| breathing to be Asthma or Phthisic. We
| have shurtness of breath in Consumption
| Bronchitis and Pneumonia, just RS we do in
Asthma, only that in these diseases It is al
ways present. whereas in Asthma it occurs
In paroxysms.
lungs, which manifests itself in periodic at
| tacks or "fits 1t comes on suddenly aud
is attended with great difficulty OF breath
| ing while it lasts, but when the attack il
over the patient breaths almost as we'll as ir
| health.
| The Astbmatic fit may come ON at any
time, day OF night, but most commonly &C
ours after midnight and 0ciore morning
| The patient is suddenly awake ned by diff
| ficulIy of breathing, feeling OF weight ol
constitution of the chest. II feels as though
| it were bound. He sits up in bed, pants oil
gasps for breath, and in bad cases, calls iol
the doors and windows to be thrown open
Precipitation stands cut in large drops or
|
lips are livid, the extremities cold. and the
| heart beating violently.
Persons badly afflicted with the disease
are, during the fit, insensible to everything
save the desire for air. have known then
to rush to the open window and hang ovel
the sill for hours in mid-winter, utterly re
gardless of the cold. The feeling is pre-
cisely that of pending suffocation, and the
poor sufferer endures Tor time all the Gg
ony OF drowning or slow strangulation.
But happily for the patient his confidence
never deserts him. He feels that it will
soon be over, and then he will get relief
After q longer or q shorter period, accord
ing 10 the severity of the Case-generally 6
few bours@the tightness al the bottom ol
the chest relaxes, the breathing becomes
deeper, the patient can speak and cough
without difficulty, and begins to expectorate
freely. At length, worn out by the intens
ity of his suHerings, he falls to sleep and
the attack is at an end.
| Nervous, Humid and Dry Asthma are
names given to different forms of this
disease. Einphysema Is another and more
inveterate kind of Asthma, while Hay
Fever or Rose Cold Ia a peculiar variety OF
Asthma which occurs at a certain season oi
the year. Each of these forms of disease
differs somewhat from the others in Hymp-
toms, but practically these distinctions are
| of very little value. II does not matter to
the patient which form of Asthma he has
since his sufieriBgs are the same in all. In
| one case the expectoration becomes yellow
and we call 1t bronchial. In another it is
| light and we call it dry. When he coughs
surface, we say he has Humoral Asthma.
| In Nervors Asthma there is very little ex-
pectoration of any kind. Hay Fever always
begins as crying cold In the head or infiu-
enza, and u Gear water iuAs 1I2m the nose
and the eyes before the Asthma I'll comes
on. In Emphysema the expectoration is
generally thick, and continues so in the in
teryal between the fits. while the shortness
of breath is increased on the slightest ex'
ertion,
There is no rule which can be said to be
uniform IN Asthma. In one person the
disease will entirely pass off after single
attack. and remain well for weeks. In an
other there will be several FITS in succession
with only. short intervals between them
| and then the patient escapes for = Longer
period. In some dts occur regularly a
stated times. Some athmatics breathe be-
in the city, while others cannot pass niSh
| In town without suffering an ATTACK. one
preiers o low land as u place OF residence
| and an other can only sleep on high ground
/ A particular exposure OF room Will otter
make a difference, and l have known peo
pie who could sleep OH one side OF th'
street and not on the opposite. me smsi
Of hay, roses, and even OF the stable
with many is sufficient to bring on Tarox
ysm. Some cannot drive behind horses, y
endure cat In the same room.
All this must seem strange ana aimos
disease by experience. but those who ar
afflicted wita il understand the matter 81
| sensitive are some people that they canno
enter drug store where ipecacusnha 4
kept without experiencing an oppression II
breathing.
Asthma depends more on atmosphere
causes than other lung diseases. The mu
Gus membrane is morbidly sensitive {
any change In the air. in the excess or def
cheney of its zone--in the presence of smok
or dust; on the temperature, humidity, O
even impregnance With the delicate frae
rance OF howers and plants. Few peopl
have any idea of the powerful influence e1
erted for good or i'll BY what We lnhale. IN
air 10 the great source from whence we con
tract most diseases and 1t IL only by employ
ing it as the carrier OF remedies that man
of them can be cured. This is peculfarl
the SO with all diseases OF the Air passage
and lungs, OF none more 50 an .nan assnms Sann,a
believe that II they have Asthma they car
not get Consumption. The truth is tn
very opposite. They are more liable
llihto Consumption oeeause tney nay
self is not a dangerous disease, and yet tn
published bills Of mortality for this cit
prove TO eli who read them that great mum
bers lose their lives every year
Without courage and perseverance notf
irg ia curable But with these, aided b
proper and stilful treatment, Asthma Ca
be cured even after the lungs are extensive
ly diseased.
lose no time in having this tearible diseas
eradicated from the system before II
forever "too late.
upon climatic influences alone, for herei
lies the fatal mistake, neafiy every cas- a.
come rid OF the offending matter-tne COZ
solidated portions of the luDga--soss TO Civ
nature an opportunity TO heal them.