Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-12-04
A DANGEROUS ENEMY.
Great Increase In the Fatality Of Pncu'
Notwithstanding Statistics

Grrs. Increase In the Fatality Of rncu-
Misunderstanding Statistics.
There is a 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 mos, dan
gerous from which this conn., unity
suffers. II is pneumonia, and The
paper is by DR.. Gouyerneur NJ. smith.
Pneumonia has become a dreadful
enemy 10 human life in this climate.
Il is also a disease from which tie
mortality is increasing rather than
diminishing. The deaths from 1t IA
New York city last year wciv = ~.
and in 1855 they reached 800. DIR.
Smith does not give the uu.!3C" Of
cases Of pneumonia reported. bIt
merely says that the rate OF Eao"lGi'y
among them is high. The statistic al
the Pennsylvania hospital SHOW tt.-i
there the mortality advanced from e,
per cent. in lS47 TO lSt per cent. IL
1867, and 10 more than 81 PER cc,lt, IN
1856. In the New York hospital TIE
ratio of mortality during the last ten
years is more than double what il was
in the past. Thirty or forty years ago
the disease was regarded as serionS,
but il did not at all excite the terror
which it now s % reasonably awakcns,
DR.. Smiths statistics show that in
New York pneumonia begins to be rife
at the opening of autumn, and that
the deaths from IL steadily increase
from September until they reach their
maximum in January. April comes
next in its amount of mortality, but
the death rate continues high through
~. .L.e win.As Hi3 Gnrn.r and until
the warm weather OIL June comes IN.
During the three summer months II
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 in many di-
rections. DR.. Smith confesses that 80
far as pneumonia is concerned, science
has shriveled;" and he seems TO think
that this is because the old methods of
treating the disease, at the time when
it was less deadly, have been aban-
doned for methods more inical, but
less efficacious. However that may
be, the fact remains that a malady
once looked upon without extraordin.
airy alarm has now become a veritable
scourge in our climate, and is deadly
far beyond other diseases TO which we
are commonly subjected.
The first requisite appears to be a
''superabundance Of pure air. about
the patient. In pneumonia the breath
ing apparatus only partially performs
its functions, for the diseased parts OF
the lungs are substantially useless,
The working portion must perform
the work of two lungs for a week OF
ten days, in order 10 maintain the
blood in a proper condition to sustain
life" and therefore 1.-The patient re,
quires purer air and vastly more thar
one in sound health" Pure air as 9
remedial agent in the management OF
pneumonia and of other disorders
both acute and chronic, has ever beer
a more potent ally of therapeutics thar
any panacea offered by alchemy Of
any hobbledehoy presented by moderr
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 o.
life and in the possession of wha
otherwise seems TO be sound healtl
and constitutions well fitted TO stant
out against ordinary maladies New
York Sun.