The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1888-11-10
A DANGEROUS ENEMY.
Great increase In the Fatality of Pncu-
Notwithstanding Statisffcs

Great Increase In the Fatality of Pncu-
notwithstanding statistics.
There is valuable discussion in The
Medical Record respecting a disease
which begins to be rife as the cold
weather approaches and which is one
of the most prevalent and most dan.
gerous from which this community
suffers. 1t is pneumonia, and the
paper is by DIR. Gouverneur NJ. Smith
Pneumonia has become a dreadful
enemy to human life in this climate.
1t Is also O disease from which the
mortality is increasing rather thar
diminishing The deaths from it IL
New York city last year were 3,707.
and in 1886 they reached 1867. DR..
Smith does not give the number Of
cases of pneumonia reported, bli
merely says that the rate of mortality
among them is high The statistics Of
the Pennsylvania hospital show that
there the mortality advanced from ca
per cent. in 1847 to 1871 per cent II
1867, and to more than 81 per cent IL
1886. In the New York hospital tht
ratio of mortality during the last ter
years Is more than double what it was
in the past Thirty or forty years age
the disease was regarded as serious
but it did not at all excite the terror
which it now SO reasonably awaAens
DIR. Smiths statistics show that il
New York pneumonia begins to be rife
at the opening of autumn, and thai
the deaths from it steadily increase
from September until they reach then
maximum in january. April comes
next III its amount of mortality, hui
the death rate continues high through
out the winter and spring end unit
the warm weather of June comes in
During the three summer months il
decreases to about one-third, but as
soon as September arrives it starts up
ward again.
Though the medical art has advanced
SO greatly of recent years i'll many di
rcctions, DR.. Smith confesses that .'se
far as pneumonia is concerned, science
has shliveled;" and he seeI...s TO fhinl
that this is because the old methods q
treating the disease, at the time when
it was less deadly, have been aban
donod for methods more fnical, but
less ekicacious However that may
be. the fact remains that malady
once looked upon without extlaoltiin
Gry alarm has now become veritabls
scourgc IN our climate, and is deadly
far beyond other diseases to which We
are commonly subjected
The first requisite appears to be
'supcrabundance of pure air. about
the patient. In pneumonia tho breath
ing apparatus only partially performs
itj functions, for the diseased parts OF
the lungs are substantially useless
The working POI ton must perform
the work Of two lungs for week OF
ten days, III order to maintain the
blood in @ proper condition to sustain
ife;" and therefore 1.-The patient re
quires purer air and vastly moro thar
one i'll sound health" Pure air as &
remedial agent in the management Of
pneumonia and of other disorders
both acute and chronic, has ever beer
q more potent ally of therapeutics thar
any panacea offered by alchemy Oh
any hobbledehoy presented by modern
chemistry"
The discussion is of profound gen
eral interest, for the great increase il
the fatality of pneumonia is very
alarming, especially as the disease
carries off SO many in the fullness Of
life and i'll the possession of wha
otherwise seems to be sound health
and constitutions we'll fitted to stant
out against ordinary maladies.- New
York Sun.