Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-09
SUDDEN DEATHS OF OLD MEN.
An Inquiry Into Their Causes-Neas
ures Of Prevention.

l An inquiry Into The1f C0USe3-Ae00s
| ures Of Prevention.
From the ST Louis Globe Democrat
| In the meeting of the Homeopathic society
| one night last week there was barely quorum
/ present The essayist of the evening was DIR. ].
! MARITIME Kershaw who discussed 1.-THE Causes
Of Sudden Death After Middle Life,' an inquiry
/ deemed appropriate at q time when the sudden
deaths of one of the members, Dr. E. c. Frank.
| lin, and VIM. H Vanderbilt, were SO fresh in
the minds of members OF the society. He said:
The principal causes Of sudden death In
| those beyond the age OF sixty years are heart
| disease aud cerebral hemorrhage. / shall not
| undertake to enumerate all the various diseases
| of the heart that are likely at any moment to
terminate fatally. Suffice IL to say that back of
/ the heart trouble and the brain difficulty that
may at any time result in cerebral hemOrrhage
Is the real cause of II all-arterial degeneration
| True, hearts wall may rupture. ON abscess
may eat It's way through this organ and cause
| the Immediate death OF the patient, but the ma
jorlty OF cases a!e due to the degeneration of the
circuiatory apparatus. and this difficulty ordi-
narily begins an Inflammation of the arteries.
| Charcot believes that the cause OF cerebral
| hemorrhage is the rupture of small military
aneurisIns that have developed from disease in
the perivascular sheath OF the arteries. Degen-
Grafton takes place from without inward. This
| Is q true perarteritis. Atheramatous disease of
the biood-veSselS, after passing through several
stages, leaves the vessels hard, ineiastic calca-
reOuS tubes. Sperulac of calcareous matter pro-
JectinS into the vessels obstruct the circulation,
! Interfere with nutrition, aud often leads to
| Soitening of the brain. Having arrived at a
conclusion as to the cause OF the many sudden
deaths that take place about US, what are We to
do 10 prevent such fatal results in those predis-
posed to the troubles under consideration?
man ofsiXty-five or seventy years of age
| must expect nature to fail somewhat, but when
| he observes symptoms of disease and Is told
what they mean, IL is neither comfort nor salts
| faction TO be informed that better life forty
| years ago would nave prevented the difficulty
now present particularly refer TO exposure in
| temperance, dissipation, irregular hours as re-
! CARDS sleeping and eating, and extensive men-
| tai strain and Worry. Most men of sixty years
| experience would probably turn over new leaf
and try it again if they had the opportunity to
do so, but as this is impossible, what are we to
| 90 with the individual we find him? How
| shall we manage q weakened heart and brain
how avert the threatening symptoms and give
him new lease OF live OF five. ten or fifteen
| years?
A man having symptoms which points to apo
pleXy-red lace. tnroDbing headache, numb
ness OF arms and legs causes US to know how
best To ward off or entirely prevent the develop
ment OF disease. 1t is our business TO tell him
this, and to tell it clearly and distinctly. II is
also our business to use medicines and measures
| OF a positively acting character to accom- plish
that which will ordinarily admit of q little delay.
All the shortcut possible should be employed.
\ radical change in his habits OF life must COM
! monty be made Most men protest against any
abrupt Change habits or mode of living that is
lnconvenient. expensive or troublesome. They
| obstruct you constantly by means OF weak ex-
cuses and petitions ior delay.
Such men usually throw away every life
plank held out to them and DRIFT away TO
! death, through their lack will to stand up and
| make manly fight for life. NodoctOr can 60
| Inuch for his patie Mt who can not think and act
| positiT ely in matter of such grave impor-
| tance. lie must not only think and do himself,
| but make mis- patient think and act. Hesitation
| on the part OF the physician and procrastina-
| ton on the part of the patient may mean death
| to the latter individual, while the employment
| of promp tly-acting measures for relief may
mean improved general health and many years
OF lie. the general health of the individual
| should be built up. IL possible. A weak heart
ia
stimulation. An over-actIng, irregular heart
| should be regulated. A patient with such q
| heart should avoid stimuldntS as a rule.
AS an organ vt is OvertaXing itself, and what
is worse, 1t l. oyercharging blood and Straininy
| br lin. The subject should retire at a regular
hour each night and obtain from six to eight
| hours OF sleep. When there Is reason to suspect
| a change in the cerebral arteries the patient
| should habtually sleep with the head high The
! force OF the hearts impulse upon the vessels of
| the brain is thus lessened the quantity OF arte-
| rial blood in that organ diminished, while the
| venous blood Is permitted to flow away from
the brain more easily.
THIS is the simple and effective way of regrl-
| lating the cerebral circulation. The patient
Should eat at regular hours. His food should be
substantial, non-Stimulating, and eaten slowly
He should never eat TO repleton, but rather
| leave the table little hungry. He should
never think of business while eating. His
stomach needs a surplus of blood to digest the
food, and cannot afford at such time TO divide
with the brain. Our patients should never get
| angry, certainly not during or Immediately
II
stomach will kill most men with weakened
cerebral arteries who past sixty years OF age.
Business, hurry should be stopped, no matter
what the cost. Straining lifting should be
strictly avoided as also bending OF the body or
| neck. Moderate exercise should be taken every
day. A man threatened with apopiexy should
be moderate in every thing, and as far as physi-
cal exercise IS concerned. slow, to the extent of
| becoming positively lazy. As a remedial agent
electricity stands at the head
discussion followed participated In by Drs
Parsons and Ordway principally. The most
novel point made was that the popular idea
that short, thick-neciled individuals were more
| pTedlspOsed 10 apoplexy than other classes was
erroneous, and while there was possibly predis-
position on the part of that class in that di-
rectiou, the long, thin-necked, spare-faced indi-
vlduals were in equal danger Ofapoplexy.
Leading the German.
QUALIFICATIONS WHICH A LEADER REQUIRES
DE LASCEY KANE'S REMARKABLE SUCCESS.
: From the New York Hour.
As soon as the german commences the~fates
| OF ali dancing are in the hands of him who
! leads for better or for worse. How important
! therefore, is the coveted position, What an
| Important functionary is the leader Of the
! german. and how poorly is that position often
! filled. W hat Is necessary TO make q leaderi
1 First and foremost he must have q perfect