St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-25

ground it exposes much matter to the
increasing heat of the sun that is in a
condition to decompose whenever the
temperature reaches 80 deg. or 80 deg.
Fahrenheit. 1t is likely that simple de-
composition would do little, it any,
harm. But, in fact, decomposition FUR
| nisheS soil just fitted for the grown
| and development of the microscopic
| foes of our race. When these have
reached a certain stage of growth tney
| appear to become endowed with
| the power of leaving the territory
Of their birth and seeking and
| entering the human system. where
| they set up peculiar unnatural processes
which we call disease. In the case of
the malarial germ, it produces fever
marked by many peculiaritieS, of which
the tendency to return after stated in
| tervalS is the most prominent and dis
| tinctiye. Every one knows the infinite
| number OF symptoms which are TO be
| nationally traced to malarial poiSonS;
| but this tendency to return at regular
intervals 'periodicity'0 is almost Ger.
tam to mark every symptom that is or
| true malarial origin. There has been
| so much written and spoken on the sub
| ject of malaria, that it is not surprising
! that some should arrive at the conclu-
no existence in fact. The curative
| powers of anti-malarial drugs, and the
pitiable condition of those who need
| them but refuse to take them, prove the
| existence of malarial poisoning beyond
peradventure.
Diseases of the lungs and breathing
| apparatus generally are common III
spring. The sudden and violent changes
in the temperature and in the amout of
moisture present in the air are sufficient
to account for the numerous cases OF
bronchitis, catarrhal pneumonia and
| pleuriSy, but they do not account for
the prevalence of that form of pneu-
monia in which the Inflammation is linn
| tied to one lobe of one lung, most uSu-
| ally tlObar or crOupouS pneumonia OF
recent writers.) This is in reality not
| primarily and essentially a disease OF
! the lungs, but a general disease with
| special deposit in lung. AS smallpox
is not essentially skin disease, but
general infection which may kill before
any eruption is to be seen, so croupouS
pneumonia is equally an infectious
malady, with its own special parasite
the pneumO-coccus of Friedlaender),
which doubtless conveys it from one
person to another.
The sudden and enormous loss of
strength which marks the condition OF
| the sick man from the chill which uSh-
ers in the disease show that it is some
thing more than mere Inflammation OF
piece of lung tissue. The remarkable
| disparity between the number OF the
| hearts pulSationS and the acts OF
breathing per minute is another clrcum-
stance that marks cr0upouS pneumonia
| as disease differing in almost every
particular from all other affections in
which the lungs are involved. Colds,
coughs and catarrhS of the ordinary
kind show tendency to extend their
| duration without definite limit, while in
| crOupouS pneumonia the duration OF the
| entire affection is seldom more than two
weeks. The points of difference be-
tween this affection and all other dis
eases of the lungs are thus seen to be
numerous and striking. Another point,
this affection seldom if ever IS followed
by thedeposit of tubercle Consumption.
This is in happy contrast with broncho-
pneumonia, which is so often the first
event in history of consumption.
PNEUMONIA IN THE SPRING.
The cold season, especially winter, is
supposed by many people, some of them
in the medical profession, to be that in
which crOupouS pneumonia is most liza
the changeable weather of spring is par
ticularly liable to be accompanied by it,
and that the month of March is credited
with more cases of this kind of pneu
monia than any one Of the others in the
round year. 1t seems that the degree OF
cold to which an individual is exposed
has nothing whatever to do with con-
tracing an attack of pneumonia. 1t is
altogether different with reference to
the other variety (broncho or catarrhal
pneumonia which invariably follows a
bronchitis and is never the first in
series of diseased conditions following
one another in the lungs. In the pres
ent stage of our knowledge it seems
likely that Friedlaender's parasite is the
actual cause of croupous pneumonia.
1t must be confessed, however, that the
evidence of the truth of this is very
weak and inconclusive. 1t would be
better, perhaps, to state frankly that its
cause is unknown.
Diphtheria and epidemic cerebro-
spinal meningitis are rather to be called
winter diseases, although epidemics of
both are not infrequent in the spring
months. Both are infectious diseases,
one of them, diphtheria. being decidedly
contagious, although to no such extent
as certain interested parties would have
it supposed.
The opinion is gaining ground that
acute intlammatory) rheumatism is also
an infectious disease, caused by some
microscopic organism. Should this
prove to be the fact one more ''spring
disease" will have its name erased from
the catalogue of such affections. That
exposure to cold and wet, and the
fact that it often yields rapidly to
one of the germ killers (antisepticS) are
both in favor of rheumatism being
an infectious disease and not especially
due to moisture and cold. The fact re-
mains, however, that large proportion
of cases can be traced to some such eX-
posure. Consequently it is still spring
disease. The Sub-acute and chronic
forms of rheumatism are still more
readily seen to depend upon cold and
moisture as their cauSation. They are
especially prevalent i'll the uncertain
weather of spring and are relieved, if
not cured, by warmth and dryness.
Among nervous diseases, neuralgia is
most pre-eminently spring disease.
This is the less surprising when it is re-
membered that large proportion of the
cases is caused by malarial poisoning or
rheumatism. In this section the inf1u-
ence of malaria in the production of
neuralgia is apparent to every one.
There is one form, that in which the
coming of storm or great change in
the weather Is foretold to the unfortu-
nate by twinges of pain along the
course of some nerve OF nerves. These
cases are most of them properly elassed
as being of rheumatic origin. Some
may be considered of unknown origin,
for there is no history of malaria or of
rheumatism to- account for the pain.
Not knowing the cause, physicians con-
idiopathic Game of itself cases; very
easy way of disposing of troublesome
question. The pains in the bones of the
so-called specific disease" are some
times intensified by the changeable
weather Of spring. This does not,