Arizona weekly enterprise., 1888-12-29
CAUSES OF COLDS.
SOME EXPLANATIONS GIVEN BY
 WELL KNOWN PHYSICIANS.

Street and the Contemptible Cigarette
 Moro Or Loss to Blame in the Matter.
 Other Causes.
 Do you think that the vile smells ema- hating from the torn up streets have any thing to do with the prevalence of colds2" asked the reporter of Dr. Lewis A Sayre.
 Most unquestionably do. Those gases of which you speak are very poison ous. They attack and weaken the system of any one that breathes them to such an extent that it becomes more easily affected, not only by climatic changes, but by all diseases The strong man may throw of disease, but the weak one has to go un der. consider it an outrage that the citizens of this city have to be subjected to the dangers resulting from breathing as physician pass through whole blocks of this detestably vitiated atmosphere, and l cannot wonder that the people of the neighborhood are i'll.
 "Do you think that the smoking of cigarettes makes one more liable to con tract cold2"
 "Yes. The smoke from the stuff that is put into cigarettes irritates the mucous membrane of the bronchial tubes until they become inhamed, and in that condition they are more susceptible to the attacks of cold. But the subject of colds is such wide one and so varied that it Is impos- sible now to enter into detailed discus sion. l think that you may safely put down the remarkable prevalence of the many troubles that are chased as colds to the extraordinary climatic changes that we have recently experienced and to the foul stenches that beset us from the torn up streets"
 Ut is news to me that colds arc so prevalent" aaid Dr. Anthony Ruppauer the next physician visited. But do find a prevalence of bronchial troubles which are often mistaken for colds, such as bronchial catarrh, bronchitis, tonsilitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis. and all such troubles that are commonly denominated colds. They arc in reality the natural results of breathing the abominab1e gases that arise continually from our streets. | The solid particles in these noisome ya- DOTS continually strike on the mucous membrane, and finally cut 1t away. This 1 produces violent inflammation, and in | that condition one becomes thoroughly susceptible to climatic changes. 1 regard New York as the healthiest city in the world on account of it's magnificent situa- tion. It is washed on either side by a mighty river, and pure ocean breeze blows over it continually. But If 1t were not for this splendid situation 1t would be tho unhealthiest city in the world for the municipal government seems to be doing all in its power to achieve that end. Why, the street here in front of my office has been dug up and repaved four sep arate times in as many months, and each | Id [I,o disgusting and poisonous odors.
 Another thing that develops and az gravates these throat troubles Is smoking And it doesn't make any difference if the tobacco is the best, it has i'll effects, noi so much as poor tobacco or the contempt ible cigarette, but it is bad enough. Now you or any other gentleman can mako ar experiment. for yourself. When you get up some morning sit before your mirror and look into your throat. You will fnt that it is the color of boiled salmon, whicl is natural Then smoko cigar for fvt minutes, and look again. You will finc that the salmon color has given placo to deep red Smoke for fifty minutes anC you will find your throat has the appear
 ance of raw beef In that condition it il
 susceptible to climatic changes. There
 fore, as health move, would do ava,
 with both the vile gases of the street. and smoking, but especially with the for
 mer. Their existence is menace to tn,
 public health"
 Dr. T. s. Robertson was so ill with cold that he could scarcely speak whel the reporter called, but the subject pleased him and he talked on it with much free dom. He agreed fully with Dr. Sayre ant , Dr. Ruppauer concerning the effect of tn gases from the streets and the habit o cigarette smoking on producing colds an' 1 throat troubles. He said that two year ago when the streets were being opene , he had itEenty-seven cases of ulcerate' sore throat at one time in the Broadwa , hotels between Twenty-third and Forty , second streets. He had observed sine that the people along the line of an
 thoroughfare that was being disrupte
 were subject to throat troubles, cough and colds, @ condition that he attribute wholly to tle miasmac condition of tn , atmosphere in such neighborhoods. , But there are other influences tha must be considered" he continued. "I the first place, we live here on an islan and in continually damp atmosphere As result, we are afflicted with catarrhs troubles. New York hes 50 per cent. nor 7 cases of catarrh than any city in the worl except Boston Now this catarrhal COT
 dition is so susceptible to climatic inhr ence that any little change in the weathe 2 brings on cold in some shape.
 Another very important factor in th . matter is the carelessness of people dressing themselves. A man comes hon
 from business at night, throws of . heav
 suit of clothes, jumps into full dres
 although the temperature has fallen
 degs., and starts for the theatre. H i wife rigs out in some fanciful costun | that does not keep her half warm and a f companies him. They stop in the lobt of the theatre and remove their wraps f that the audience may have flu
 enade down the aisle. Meantim
 they are in chilling draugh
 Between tho acts the man comes out al e stands about smoking g cigarette or ell ,- he runs across the street to get drin ,r After the theatre it is Q little supper d Delmonico's, where they have to wait in d draught half an hour for Q table. Tn; s they will probably sit by half open wi h dow. Tho next morning they wonder ho
 they could have caught cold and grumh
 at the doctors fee. Half my patien
 caught cold in just that way, and
 fact must confess that my own seve T. hoarseness is due to just that cause. o But colds are caught in thousal 'l ways, such as walking fast and stopping 1t talk few minutes, overloaded room n .15 draughty cars and so on ad ininitum. Mo 'o colds come from the open pores of the six
 being suddenly closed and the blood bei
 thus driven from a surface or skin circ .n lation to the lungs. In other words, co is is congestion. It is almost impossible )O avoid this evil, and my individual expe
 ence shows that it has been ipcreasi
 every year for the past three yea G. Seventy five per cent. of my patients ha T. catarrh trouble in one shape or anothel
 Nav York Times Intervie{ys