Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-03-05
WHAT HEART-FAiLuRE is.

WHAT HEART-FAiLuRE is.
4 Much-Used Term That Covers q Multi.
tude OF Death Causes.
One of the commonest reports in the
health Office is: death from hesrt-fail-
ure." That report covers a multitude
of diseases, and the last year great
number Of prominent men of the coun-
try have died from this so-called dis.
ease. It is claimed by many that there
is no such disease as heart-failure. That
is the sequence OF many complaints to
which poor humanity is heir; that is
used to cover up serious complaints that
the attending physician has not been
able to diagnose. Other diseases affect
the heart, and are really the cause of
the death, though the return to the
health office reads: ''Cause of death
heart-failure."
81 have not given the subject great
deal of thought" said DR.. s. E. carp, "but
in broad sense am under the impress
sion that the term heart failure would
include not only diseased condition of
the structure of the heart, producing a
cessation of it's action, but also the in
fuence exerted by the disease of other
organs upon the circulation and mech
anism of the organ. In a restricted
sense failure Of heart power is where
there is a lack of force; less blood is
thrown into the large vessels, as the
arota, an obstruction or an impairment
of the circulatory impulse, distension
and contraction of the muscles are less,
and naturally the nutrition of the mus
cular structure of the heart is below
normal Thus there is lack Of ability
to support the worn out tissues by new
material and the process is imperfectly
accomplished.
I'm the general routine of daily life
people attempt to live too fast, overtax
their mental faculties, and do more work
than should be their lot. The man who
can leave behind all business cares when
he enters his home at night will have
life prolonged.''
DR.. E. F. Hodges was talked to on the
same subject. he said:
Heart failure is commonly symp-
tom and not a disease. However, a
typical case of death from heart failure
is occasionally observed-where an aged
person having no disease suddenly dies
in sleep, perhaps-the heart ceasing to
beat simply as clock runs down and at
last stops. In general, the term is used
indefinitely to explain sudden death
from obscure causes, either occurring
in the course of a recognized NAL
ady, as pneumonia, or independ-
emily of any. A man dies sud-
denly, for instance, during the
prostration following debauch or upon
the receipt of bad news. His death is
explained as from heart disease, where.
as, in fact, he died either from apoplexy
the sudden bursting of q vessel in the
brain-or from the crisis of valvular
of fatty lesion of the heart, or, more
rarely, from an affection of the nerve
centers commanding the circulatory sys.
tenn. In no proper sense can he be said
to die of heart failure, per Sc.
sit is conceivable that a man can be
of so intensely impressionable nervous
system that mere shock, as of fright
might suffice to cause in him a fatal
heart-stroke- being sound physical.
ly-b but such an event must be of the
rarest, if, indeed, possible at all. Most
physicians, in considering such case,
would find reason to think that a dis
eased heart pre-existed, or that the
mans cerebral arteries were weak, the
weakest point giving way under the
sudden strain. In short, heart failure
is result of diseased condition some
where-a symptom, not disease.
''Why does it attack active men more
than others? AS fact, perhaps, it
does. At all events, it then becomes
more noteworthy and is better adver.
tised. Besides, active men neglect to
heed symptoms or failure in strength,
and habitually overdo themselves. They
have rheumatism ofttimes, and rheuma-
tism is a general cause of valvular dis.
ease of the heart. Exposure and the
demands for sudden exertion of strength
affect them more decidedly than quiet,
sedentarY persons.
''The term is more frequently used
the condition no more common, proba-
bly,, now than formerly-where no spe-
cial reason for precision exists in max
ing a death return. The doctor per-
haps knowing how wide field the term
heart failure embraces employs it to
save time and to explain as we'll as he
can, without an autopsy, how, if not
why, the person ed."-lndianapolis
News.
AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE.