The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-17

The prevalence Of pneumonia, its rapid in.
crease, and fatal consequences in many i'll
stances have led q number OF our ablcr phys
icians to carefully investigate the pccullalrl.
ties of this alarming disease, and some or
them have published the result of their obser-
rations in q way to benefit the public, not on
~ by pointing out the best methods OF Pre-
vention, hut likewise Of treatment, in the
Dr. John r. Nagle, Deputy Register Of Re-
cords of the Health Board Of the city of New
York, has given much attention to the dis
ease and has prepared Naluaole statlStlcal Ia
bles concerning it.
"The prevalence of pneumonia" he says
"may be owing to lack of ozone air, or it
may be because there Is too mueh ozone. sud
ticularly from the north and east. certainly
have much to do with it, and draughts of all
kinds are bad, and should be avoided. Smok-
ing may be u predlsposing cause, as tooacco
is certainly irritant. Anything which irri.
tales the lungs should be avoided If people
would breathe through the nose instead of
through the mouth especially when IN the
open air or facing II cold wind, the lungs
would be less irritated.
zone great cause of the fearful death rate
among children from this disease Is undonbt-
edly the criminally foolish way in which they
are dressed. Many mothers seem more anN-
ious to make their children look pretty than
to dress them comfortably. On par with
this is the folly Of low-necked dresses among
women as viewed from Il health standpoint.
Ladies so dressed will rush from Il heated ball
room or theater into the open air, and wonder
that they have colds or pneumonia. Wear
seasonable undcrclothinS and don't remove
your heavy t1annels too early in the spring or
defer putting them on until too late in the
fall. I should not advise people to coddle
themselves, but one should dress according to
the season, and should cover the body evenly.
Add to this q proper regard for the general
health and avoidance of draughts, and one
need not worry much about pneumonia"
Prof A. l.. LOOMS, in his "Practice OF Med
I.Tf ic oil L. f.ant
disease attacks the poor Oftener than the rich,
the private oftener than the officer. the sailor
on shore oftener than on ship, the soldier Of
tener than the civilian ut the same post. 1t is
unknown in the polar regions and common on
the Mediterranean. increasing in direct ra-
ito from the poles to the equator. Elevation
above sea predisposes it: north and cast
winds favor it's development; rainy seasons
or damp and marshy districts do not seem
to influence it. Periods OF steady and eX-
treme cold have little effect except upon the
old but sudden changes are very disastrous.
The first predisposing cause Is age, the disease
being most common in early CHILDHOOD. from
twenty to forty, and after sixty. The ,propor-
tion Of male and female victims is three 10
which debiltates Sa predsposi ing cause. The
complications which render the disease so
dangerous are those which diminish the nerve
supply or weaken the muscular power OF the
heart. Bad sewerage and miaSmatic intlu
ence are potent causes Of the disense.'
Pneumonia usually begins with a chill, in
followed by corresp0ndingly high fever and
sharp pains in the sides The disease is very
rapid in its progress, reaching crisis in from
five to six days. and sometimes causing death
within three days. Usually but one IS AT
fected. and often the disease is confined to
single lobe.
A person may have "doube pneumonia" or
pneumonia Of both lungs, and recover from
It. but the chances are against him When the
disease spreads to all of the lung lobe>, death
is certain, AS the patient cannot breathe, and
dies OF suffocation. The diseased lung, at first
inf1amed, soon becomes hard and leathcry,
and incapable of performing its natural iunc-
tions. A curious fact is that usually no sec
ond chill occurs when another lobe is at
between the amount of lung affected and the
intensity of the symptoms. All physicians
agree in saying that the disease is not conta-
gogs put may be Ima IT hs as Dren
conditions as dipthcria-that is, the cOndi-
tions which produce diptheria in the young
are apt to cause pneumonia among adults.
DR.. j. r. Leaning, special consulting phys
ician in chest diseases in ST. Lukes Hospital,
has published little pamphlet concerning it,
entitled Endemic Pluro-Pneumonia. as seen
in New Hork during the past ten or twelve
years." In that pamphlet DR.. Leaning holds
to the theory that the pneumonia OF the pres
ent day, or pluro-pneuinonia, as he calls it, is
the same as the epidemic which caused such
havoc among the troops In Canada during the
war of lSl2l5.
r That the weather has much to do with pneu-
,monia is apparent The number Of deaths in
New York city for the first seven months OF
last year was as follows: January, 375; Feb
ruary, 4s6; March, 5S; April, 5l2; May, 3$ !;
June, 229: July. 80. After August there is
usually a, steady, increase until March, the
most fatal month of the year. The death
rate too, is very high. The statistics So far
published, both in hospitals and private prac-
tice show an average death rate of at least
20 per cent, or one in five Of those attacked
The theories concerning the nature of the
disease itself are many and varied. Some
physicians hold that pneumonia is only To-
Cal manifestation of a general diease. others
that it is specific disease caused by specific
poison, while still others nold us tcnaciously
to the germ theory.
Without speculatins upon these different
theories, from what has been SAID in which
all agree, 1t is plain that anything which low
.ers the vitality of the system is conducive to
the disease, and shonId be carefully avoided.
4Overwork either physical or mental, has
much to do with it, and this explains why so
many business men and brain workers he
come its victims. Sudden changes in the
weather and draughts of all kinds are also to
be guarded against. In q word, live temper
ateIy, dress warmly. avoiding all manner OF
imprudences, and you need have no fear OF
pneumonia Journal Of Health.