Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-10
CURE FOR La GRIPPE.
The YapOr Coming From Coal in Maxi
ing Gas Good for the Throat.
PEOPLE WHO VISIT GAS HOUSES.
An Engineer of the Pittsburg Company
Tells His Experience.
DR.. JACKSON ADVISES SOME CAUTION

1t has been admitted for years that there
are many other and more potent remedies
than drugs for the treatment of various
forms of disease, but probably the most
novel, yet simple and safe curative afflicted
humanity can adopt to rid themselves of la
grippe is the vapor prodnced from coal
during the process of its manufacture into
gas Similar processes are used at the
plants of the Pittsburg Gas Company and
the Consolidated Gas Company. Large
purifying rooms form part Of the works.
The purifiers are iron boxes, divided into
sections, and containing many wooden trays
in tiers. The trays are covered with pure
white lime. A flow of gas fresh from the
coal circuIates through the alright purifier.
The bad smelling gases and coal tar vapors
are caught up in the lime, and the purified
gas passes out at the other side of the box.
When the lime in the boxes becomes
colored they are emptied and reflled with
fresh lime. It is when the boxes are being
empted that men, women and children
gather in the purifying room to inhale the
vapors arising from the Old lime. Children
suffering from Group and whooping cough
are taken in large numbers. Grown persons
afflicted with all kinds of throat trouble visit
the purifying rooms and remain for halt an
hour at time.
John H. McElroy, engineer for the Pitts
burg Gas Company, said yesterday that he
had seen as many as 25 or 80 persons at their
works at once. The attendance is larger
when an epidemic prevails. "Some people
have so much faith in the remedy. said he,
chat they come here to ward off smallpox.
1 remember twice having to force women
with children out of the place to save them
from suffocation.
IT TCUREs CONSUMPTION.
'I can't explain the curative properties,
but know that no employe of our COM
pany ever suffered from an eruptive dis
ease. Men threatened with consumption
have come to us for employment for the
simple purpose of warding off the disease.
When they would regain their customary
robust health they would leave u.s. If the
people suffering with the alleged grip
would spend half hour each day in our
purifying rooms they would soon get rid of
the malady.
"I cannot saythat many have gone to the
works to be cured of the grip, but no doubt
they have. People of all conditions and
stations in life go there. have seen the
rich come in their carriages, and the poor
come walking behind. Possibly the ma
jority come from the poorer classes. This
is not new remedy for throat troubles. It
has been used in Germany and England,
where the physicians recommend it.
"The remedy costs nothing. In Europe
small fee is charged the people for remain
ing In the works, but we never allow that
here"
DR.. CheValier @. Jackson was asked
yesterday for his opinion as to the compo-
position OF the vapors arising from the lime,
their virtue as curative and as q remedy
for influenza. He said:
ut has long been known among those
physicians who will use any form of treat
ment promising benefit that the vapors
arising from the lime used in the purifca-
tion of coal gas is decidedly beneficial in
Group and bronchitis, and to q still greater
extent in pulmonary consumption.
GOOD FOR THROAT TROUBLES. j
Chemically the Vapors consist of various
empyreumatic products resulting from the
destructive distillation of coal. These
products are complex in composition, but
among them are carbolic acid, ammonia,
bisulphide of carbon, sulphur dioxide,
hydrogen sulphide and odorous oils. The
vapors of all these substances when in
human respiratory passages. The empv-
reumatic oils, the bisUlphide of carbon, the
sulphur dioxide, the sulphuretted hydrogen,
and the carbolic acid are antiseptics, and
this explains their beneficial action. An
antiseptie is a substance that will kill
microbes or render them inactive. The
ammonia is beneficial, acting as an ex-
pectorant. loosening phlegm and facilitating
expectoration. This is the explanation Of
the heneft experienced by those afflicted
with Group and bronchitis who have inhaled
the fumes of the lime used in the purifca-
tion processes.
"Now as to influenza, priori, should
say that this treatment ought to be good
thing. ALI medical authorities now agree
that influenza is due to germ floating in
swarms in the atmosphere, and which germs
gain entrance into the system with the
inspired air. Now it would seem a rational
mode of treatment to inhale a vapor which
would kill those germs and at the same time
loosen up secretion in which such germs
might be lodged and in throwing it of. But
this is all theoretical, and without the clini.
cal history Of a large number of cases sub
jected to the treatment, it would be i'm
possible to say positively as to its value.
CAUTIoNARY ADVICE.
II Is pfODdOle b1aI. IL uOb GAK6u 700 ire |
quently the inhalations of the Yapors re-
ierred to would do no harm. Once daily |
would, think, be as often as advisable. |
But do not think from the meager statis- |
tics we already have that it would be we'll |
for anyone to partake often of the inhala-
tions without the supervision of physician |
to watch the effects on the system. Again,
it would not be we'll to trust to the inhala- |
tions to the exclusion of other well tried |
remedies.
with my own patients shall tell them |
of my opinion of the matter, and then if |
they wish to experiment on themselves 1 |
shall watch the effects closely, and if bene-
fetal l will advise a continuance, while il |
otherwise they will be stopped at once. As |
applied to influenza it is new thing, and |
as new thing in medicine its effects will |
have to be watched very closely. Nothing
under the sun should be so carefully
watched as the trial OF new remedies, and
all patients who subject themselves to the |
inhalations should remember that they are
trying an experiment"