The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-10
DISEASES WITHOUT CURE.
Disorders Which Travel Slowly but
Surely to a Fatal End.
From the Globe Democrat

From the Globe Democrat.
The class of chronic diseases is quite a
large one, and is important from every
point of view. 1t may prove interesting to
investigate the question why certain affec-
tions continue for years, while the history
of others is always compressed into a few
days or weeks. That is to say, some are
chronic from the start, while others
which stand upon middle ground, sometimes
acute, at other times chronic, and still Others
again half way between them.
The nature of the cause of a given disease
has much to do with its duration. In the
socalled essential fevers, such as typhus,
typhoid, -elapsing and yellow fever, the
cause is a minute vegetable organism
that seems to attain its full development
within very short time, after which it
produces its progeny and dies. There is no
more chance of one of them becoming
chronic than there is of raising several crops
of oats or barley from once so wing the seed
In a second class the cause, again a mi
crcscopic growth, may go on growing null
tiplying and developing new crops almost
Indefinitely. Such are the malarial fevers
and all the affections classed among the MAS
matte disorders.
Disease of the valve of the heart is not at
all uncommon. and follows acute Eheuma-
tism, especially if it occurs in a child with
great frequency. The presence of valvular
disease of the heart is not by any means a
sign that death must result from it In
year or score of years. The amount of
damage inflicted is not always indicated by
the amount Of abnormal sounds to be heard
over the heart The abnormal sounds
imurmurs) may be very loud, and the dis
ease which causes them, be or no great mo
ment, or the murmurs may scarcely be
heard, while the damage may be of the great
est Importance aud lead to speedy death. In
the one case, the muscular substance of the
heart is able to make up for tho damages
presumably growing hypertrophy) suifi-
GENTLY to meet all demands made upon its
strength; in the other, the ability to grow
and Increase in strength is soon exhausted.
lhen the blood accumulateS faster than 1t
can be sent away from the heart, and the
cavities thereof become more and more
weak and give way before the constantly
increasingly is dilatation in
stead of hypertrophy. Enlargement OF the
heart by overgrowth of its muscular sub
stance is always a conservative process,
DONG good and not to be interfered with,
while dilatation of the heart from stretch
Ing of its cavities is always Of evil auguly.
vast amount of suffering Is due to the
so-called chronic rheumatism. Instead OF
one, there are probably several different
diseases COMPOUNDED together under this
name. They have all some characteristics
IN common, which doubtless occasions this
confusion. Some cases of locomotor ataxy
areior years supposed to be chronic rheu-
Hatism or neuralgia, while large numbers
ol dry inflammation Of the hip joint are
treated as cases Of sciatica. The pains Oft
eu Ielt in the muscles and termed muscular
rheumatism are not often of rheumatic
nature in any seuse. Some recent authori-
tleS, indeed, hold that most of these pains
are caused by the presence OF the trfchtnd
sSprdhs. As everyone knows, the tr'tchtnd,
II present in sufficient numbers, cause in
1g9elerable suffering. fever and speedy death
which they finally take up their abode be-
WINE sore, swollen and stiff for q few weeks.