Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1888-12-15
SUDDEN DEATH.
ONE OF THE SAD RESULTS OF oUR
"Go-AHEADATlVENESS.D

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Apoplexy.
The Bible speaks of three score years and
ten as the age to which man may reasonably
loos forward It seems as If at least seventy
equable, contented and happy years-full of
such comfort and qualification as the mem.
bers Of each class in the community have
severally a right to expect - should and
might be within the reach of every man and
woman. In some countries, however, we find
this to be much more nearly the case than
with us. Americans, as rule, 1--we too fast
to live long. Every person is originally en-
dowed with about so large stock OF vitality,
out of which to fashion his life.
1t amounts to nothing more nor less than
the simplest of problems in arithmetic to
show that if he draws upon this stock twice
as heavily as he should the duration Of his
existence will only be one-half Of what it was
originally intended to be- Indeed, the mat
ter stands much worse than this; his life is
likely to be at any moment suddenly cut oil
short long before reaching even the half. A
steam engine may use up its fuel in two
weeks or one, according to the rate at which
it is driven; if it is sufficiently overworked
the result may be q general 'srnash, or such
an injury as will neceSsitate a long and
tedious stopping for repairs" If, indeed, it
ever becomes "as good as new.n We hardly
seem ready to recognize the bounds estab-
lished by nature, but when we have reached
them, in our greed and ambition, we summon
our will, and as the expression runs, "Hve
upon our nerve, congratulating ourselves on
our praiseworrhy display Of American go
aheadativeness Unfortunately nature has
not yet become sufficiently progressive in her
ideas to manufacture constitutions expressly
for the American market, and in the midst of
our triumphant tour de force, click, some
thing snaps, and we vanish from the stage or
break down for years, perhaps for life.
In every community such "breakdownsr
may be pointed out on every side, and many,
even of our most successful" men, freely
confess they have paid too high price for
their prosperity. The prizes of existence are
SO great with us, and seem to be SO within
the grasp of all, that practically all set out
to win them. Each is unhagging and merci-
less to himself in his grim resolve to obtain
that for which he is striving. He works day
and night, including holidays, and not infre-=
duently Sundays; he refuses to take time to
eat his reals properly, and in such sense
less luxury as vacation he never dreams of
indulging; amusement he regards as frivo.
ious, and as abstracting too much valuable
time from the prosecution of the all absorb
ing project. Every waking minute he keeps
his brain grinding away over ways and
means, and not improbably the hours which
sensible man would devote to sleep he una'
naturally curtails for the same purpose. The
social competition runs equally high with
that of business. OF course, In the path
way he treads he jostles and is jostled by
competitors, and in nature so tense and set
in so great an endeavor as is his, the constant
and wearing, though almost unperceived,
Jay of the emotions-as envy, jealousy,
hatred, disappointment, etc.-is very great.
Occasionally, at some ''close shave" or some
crisis OF failure or success, he experiences
eliminating spasm of feeling that shakes
aim to his very center. Perhaps not satisfied
with this existence of abnormal and unhy-
gicnic physical habits and unnatural mental
md emotional strain, once in while, when
,he racket becomes too intense to be for
70 time being endured, he varies the mo-
.otony-not as he should do, with q change
Of scene, quiet, wholesome life, amusement
nd rest, but by plunging into period of
dissipation for the purpose of drowning his
worries and cares But, ruinous at any time,
tho effect upon his overworked nerves and
distracted constitution Of such course must
naturally be greatly intensified. He could
scarcely take more suicidal step.
'sDied suddenly" How few realize with
what startling frequency in this country that
report goes out. The strong man foolishly
fancies he is practically inaccessible to all
ment and death, and SO pushes on i'll his ex-
aggerated expenditure Of energy until-too
late-insulted nature bestows upon him the
logical punishment he has so persistentiy
courted "We do fade as the leaf" is the
delugion we fondly hug, while we think OF
death as afar off. Yet every day, simply
from faults of his own committing, many an
unfortunate is hurried into the presence of
his Maker without an instant's warning. OF
the twenty-five deaths reported by New
York contemporary one day last week nine
were sudden Some Of US may wish that
such may be our fate-that we die sin the
harnessn-but to many such thought is ter.
rorizing; they pray that to them the end
como slowly-that they may ''ripen for tie
grave"
What are the causes of sudden death--as
by stroke of lghtning9 They are not
many when only the SO called natural acci
dents are considered. Death on the instant
may result from apoplexy, or bursting Of an
aneurism within the chest or abdomen; it
may be caused by the bursting Of an abscess.
within the chest Great mental shock-as
from extreme anger or grief or even joy
sometimes kills instantly through total
paralysis of the chief nerve centers. Gases
of sudden death from hemorrhages of the
lungs are on record, but they are few in
number. Diseases of the heart render the
subject liable to instant death, and they ars
the most frequent causes.
As we grow old we should avoid those in .
fuences which are likely to induce sudden
and great rush of blood to the head, such as
intense mental exeitement-as in public
speaking or in fit Of anger-violent muscu-
lar effort, gluttony and drunkenness, etc.
While one dimes at popular cafes he has but
to look about him and he is quite sure to see
habits indulged provocative Of apoplexy. A
familiar sight is the man about 60 years old
whose highest pleasure is In tickling his pal
ate He is overweight by fully fifty pounds;
his face is red and shining; he is full to burst
ing, and he looks as though every important
button on his clothing was threatened. One
on a warm day gives such man as wide q
bershn as he would cookstove; he is alto
gether too hot to sit near. He commences
his dinner with an appetizer generally a
cocktail. Then he deliberately fills up,n
ls.gely on meat and other hearty" foods, all
of which are washed down with one at least,
and generally two bottles Of lager beer. Al
he eats and drinks with one hand, he fans
himself vigorously with the other, all the
time growing redder and redder, and finally,
when he hoists himself out Of his chair, his
face takes purplish hue in consequence Of
even that slight effort. He is like violin
when in tone; every part Of his system Is