The Red Cloud chief., 1888-02-10
A STITCH IN TIME,

A STITCH IN TIME.
C1ees In which Medical Aid IL OF Most
value In the Early Stage.
In the earliest stages of consumption
Of the lungs. it is possible to arrest the
progress OF the affection and secure q
return to health by change of climate
n OF habits of life. together with
wisely directed diet. exercise and hy.
giene generally. But this stage is
often permitted to pass without n
serious attention being given to it by
the patient or his friends. One reason
OF his is the unreasonable hopefulness
that is a mental characteristic of most
consumptivcs. Besides the insignifi-
cant cough and slight symptoms Of de-
teriorating health. which are often ONLY
to be noticed and given their true value
by h experienced physician. do not
carry with them any such degree of
alarm as they merit When a profuss
hemorrhage occurs the feeling of Sc
curity may give way to the alarm that
has been felt before. Any persistent
cough should be attended to before it
is too late to do good. As in all as
eases depending upon a special u
or mlcro-organism. consumption is not
to be cured by drugs alone. 1t is pos
sible that. as the late Prof. Flint taught,
1t may be a disease that has a tendency
to recover of itself. but if it is '.self-lim-
ited." it can only be SD under the best
possible sanitary and hygienic condi-
tons.
An ordinary malarial fever is not, as
rule. dangerous to life. But any case
OF ague may develop into a pernicious
(congestive) intermittent or remittent
fever at any time. This it is that rem
ders prompt arrest of the common ayue
OF such great importance. For this
reason also treatment by nostrums and
domestic remedies too often results in
an attack which no form of medication
will be competent to cure. The per-
nicious attacks are almost invariably
preceded by ordinary chills. SO that
when the "congestive" paroxysm does
come on 10 one can say that there was
any excuse for calling the doctor too
late. Even if pernicious attacks are
not developed. the subject of long-con-
tinued ague becomes broken in health,
is pale. sallOw and full Of pains of Il
neuralgia character that makes life
miserable: and the longer the disease
persists without interruption. the more
difficult it is to stop its progress and to
r the results of chronic malariai
poisoning.
A large proportion Of cases of valvu-
lar diseases of the heart originate in
acute rheumatism. This disease at
tacks the joints and such organs as
most resemble them in structure. The
heart from its continual movements
and the white fibrous materials from
which it is lined and covered bears a
very strong resemblance to 4 large
joint In rheumatic fever (inflamma-
tory rheumatism) the main danger
arises from the tendency the inlamma-
ton shows to attack the covering of
the heart or the valves to be found be.
tween the cavities and at tie entrance
Of the great artery that takes the
blood to distribute it all over the body.
Experience has demonstrated that the
best method to prevent the disease
from attacking the heart is to give
large quantities of alkalies-thc bicar-
Donates of sodium and of potassium
being the best-until the acid material,
which appears to be at the basis of
rheumatism. is fully neutralized. This
is shown by the secretion of the kidneys
becoming alkaline in reaction. As long
as this is not done and KEEP. up per-
sistently there is danger Of heart
trouhle setting in ut any moment The
Younger the patien; the greater the
danger Of these complications. Hence
the necessity. in every rheumatic case.
of prompt and rational treatment
In nervous. sensitive children. slight
causes are sufficient to bring on an at
tack of commissions. Thus. some hard
indigestible material swallowed. or the
presence of worms in the digestive
tube. is often enough responsible for
these always alarming symptoms. If
the cause can be removed. of course
this should be done. and the sooner the |
better. One very cogent reason for the
last remark is the fact that after con-
vulsions have occurred a number of
times a morbid habit becomes estab- !
lished in the nervous system. which is
strong enough by itself to produce q
return of the spasm>. even after the
original exciting cause has been thor
oughly removed. When the fits re-
return from time to time without app
parent reason. We say that the patient
has epilepsy. Of the most ~iutracta-
bic of diseases. 1t is in cases Of this
description. whercthe cause of the con-
vulsions can be removed. that the phv-
sician should not be called too late. If
consulted sufficiently early a lifetime
of misery, ending in insanity. perhaps.
might be changed into Of useful
ness !