Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-02-03
RULES OF NATURE.
Periodically Noticed in the Processes OF the
Human Body.

Lst Louis GIobe-DemocratI
An the processes which go on In the
healthy human body shows a certain
rhythm or perodicity. Consequently 1t
Is not very remarkable that in most dis
eases the same kind of alternate wax
ing and waning is to DO observed. As
IN health the bodily temperature is
lowest in the morning and highest
about g o'clock in the evening, so In
most fevers, in all the so-called con-
tinued feyers, the same rule prevails.
Even in consumption of the lungs and
IN some other long continued affections
characterized by more or less fever,
the same phenomena are observable.
In the malaria fever, however, q new
rule comes to the fore. Instead of the
fever being highest every evening at 6
o'clock or Whereabouts, it may not ap-
pear at all on certain DAYS, and when it
does come IL Is atits highest somewhere
between a. IN. and %. N. This is
the rule unless the disease has been
modified by some sort Of treatment
The remarkable fact that the paroxysms
come on daily every alternate day, or
the third, fourth, NTH sixth, or seventh
day, Is sufficient upon which to base a
classification. Hence these fevers are
termed periodical and, together with
certain characteristic affections of the
nervous system, are found TO be the
best treated by the employment of a
we'll defined class of remedies-the
antiperiodics.
Much ingenious speculation has been
wasted on an endeavor to account for
this matter of periodicity. The best,
or, rather, the most plausible theory,
IS based upon the observation that the
microscopic growth that is now sup
posed to be the active agent in these
affections Is found IN enormous num-
bers IN the blood of malarial cases dur |
ing the height of the fever, while they
are very few in number during the in
termission-that is the time between
fevers, when the patient feels eompar-
atvely well, is free from fever at all /
events. 1t has been surmised that when /
vast number Of spores or germs of this |
mlcro-organlsIn are developed -
Matched, so to speak-in the blood |
together, they produce a sort of fer |
mentatlonp or extraordinary setting free /
of heat, by the event of their growth. |
or by their active movements, or the /
waste products of their breaking IN the /
elements Of-the blood for their nutri. /
ton. Then, when one crop dies of I
perhaps they are killed by the HIGH I
temperature they themselves have
evolved, the fever subsidies until the
next lot Of spores are capable of begin
ning anew their pernicious activity.
In China, curious affection is fire.
quently met with in which myriads Of
minute worms are found in the blood.
These. the FiiIriB sGHgltinis hOmints,
disappear almost entirely during the
daV, but at o'clock in the evening
they reappear In countless numbers
as many as 100 being found in one drop
Of blood. What becomes Of them in J
the daytime Is unknown. In the same
way the malaria organisms disappear [
during the well period. or intermis- /
sion, and whether they die and are cast |
out Of the body or are hidden in the I
liver, spleen, OF other internal organs, is 4
as yet an unsOlved question. The /
chances are in favor of the former.
In the condition known as blood
poisoning (scepticemia and pyRmial.
chllls and fever alternate, but the peri,
odically is not so marked; in fact, the
great irregularity of the fever marks
the distinction OF these affections from
those of the malaria origin. In these
it has been found that microbes of en-
trely different form from those of
malaria) are at work, developing, null
the blood and all the tissues with the
products of life processes. Although
pylemia is an exceedingly grave, almost
fatal disease, and septieae-
mia bad enough but not so grave, vet
some OF the most reliable among the
antiperiodics are the only medicines
which seem to have any control over
tn sir progress. 1t would appear then
that agents which are opposed TO the
growth of the microbean forms of life
the antiseptics or germicides-are
the only antiperiOdios. But it has been
found that the most powerful of the
anlseptics are not the most efficient
antiperiodics. That IS to say, the right
germicide must be selected or the par
ticular germ whose death is sought viii I
not be injured As the poison morphine
has little or no effect upon the ruminat-
ing animals, so the most powerful anti
septic or germ-killar known-corrosive
sublimate has little if any effect upon
the germs which produce malaria atfec-
is not an GntiperiOdic. At the
same time quinine has a powerful eff
feet upon those germs, 1t shows very
feeble powers when employed as a
dressing for wounds, where the sublime
has earned fair laurels.
Headaches, neuralgias, indigestions,
Glow spirits" coughs hiecOughs, and
all sorts of nervous arrangements are
found to DO, in a vast number of IN
stances, simply masked intermittent
fevers. These are all best treated by
the proper employment Of antiperiodie !
resoedieG