The St. Johns herald., 1890-09-18
THE FAMILY PHYSICIAN,
An Earnest and Able Plea for the Preven-
 ton of Disease.


 He should have constant opportuni- ty to know just what is the physical condition of each member of the fam fly in the absence of any manifest ev- idence of disease. To this end period ical examinations should be made of such a character as to reveal any lurking morbid tendency without waiting for it's development into actual disease. There should be no such thing as a discoverable affec- tion remaining undiscovered Death from unSuspected heart or kidney dis ease, for example, should cease to be possible. There should be no more histories like the following, now so frequently repeated:
 A person supposed to be in good health is hastening along the street perhaps hurrying to catch a train. All at once he is seen to stagger and fall. Passers = by rush to his as- sistance, but he gasps few times, and, before any aid can be rendered he is dead. An autopsy reveals that he had fatty degeneration of the heart, and the extra demand made upon the heart by the unusual eZer- ton was more than it's enfeebled walls could respond to. He was not aware of the existence of this condition, but if his doctor had merely laid his finger on his pulse his suspicion would have iStD fn heart would immediately have con firmed it. By proper treatment and the avoidance of severe exertion the catastrophe might have been averted for many years, and the usual limit Of life might perhaps have been at tained.
 Or again, gentleman who has thought himself quito well goes as usual in the morning to his place of business. 4 few hours later he is brought homo in a carriage in 6 state of inconsistencies. In spite Of the most prompt and judicious treatment he does not recover from his coma. On the contrary, convulsiOns set in, and in the course of a few hours he dies. Unknown to him or to his family he has been suffering from Bright's dis ease, the symptoms being latent up to the last moment. Yet very simple examination would have revealed to his doctor the actual condition of af- fairs, and by proper care and proper treatment the fatal termination might have been almost indefinitely deferred.
 The records of examinations by the physicians of life insurance companies show numerous instances in which very serious disease exists without be- ing suspected either by the patient or his friends. This fact, in addition to the frequency Of cases such as those described above, is enough to show the extreme importance of a system by which the actual condition of persons not consciously i'll should be periodi- cally investigated.
 In view of this it should be a part of the duty of the family physician to make 8 thorough physical examina- ton of every member of the family at least twice year, and in the case of Q feeble or delicate person at much shorter intervals. The results of these examinations should be fully recorded. and the record kept in possession of the doctor, to be transmitted to hls suc- cessor. A record of this kind would possess immense value, not only for the persons immediately interested, but also for their posterity. IL is by knowing the vital history of the pa ents that we know what to expect in the children. Heredity is an influence which it is difficult to estimate, for the reason that the absence of records prevents our tracing it backward in the family history. Yet we know that this influence may shape the physical destiny of generations to come. Dr. Holmes has said that the proper time to begin the treatment of some dis eases is @ hundred years before the birth of the patient. He might have added that the treatment sometimes needs to be continued for & hundred years after his death.
 But the opportunity afforded to the family physician to ward off injurious influences from those under his care might be extended much farther. Ii should be within his province to indi- cate what occupations were suitable to a given youth, and what, in tho inter- ests of his health, should be avoided. He should be able to prevent feeble, ill-nourished, narrOw-chestedl lad being put behind desk in counting-room, where the tendency to pulmonary dis ease already existing would certainly be developed. He should have such $, voice in the selection of boarding schools as would prevent the children being sent to institutions in unhealth- ful localities, or in which there was danger from defective sanitary pre- cautions. In the selection of Q new dwelling, and even in choosing 8 sum- TnnT. resort his i1r6ruant as fO 4ha