The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-05-07
MECHANISM or THE HEART.


How. Sudden Death From Heart Failure
Nay BE Prevented. .l.EtI
Now tho American idea Of treating
the heart when. It is diseased from
overwork, is to stop the bad food and
give good food. Nature will then re-
move from the blood stream the physi-
cal causes Of obstruction, and the heart
will come down in size and be restored,
simply because it has no more than its
normal work to do. This is . principle
OF surgery, to-wit, to remove foreign
body from the eye, and the eye gets
well Of itself; nature will always cure
It she has a chance. This is repetition,
but there is need of it. ~ M Il. 4
Few have any idea how far the blood
has to travel in the human body. If
the capillaries, which are 1-3O00th Of an
inch in diameter, of the human body
could be removed and put into one
straight line, it is estimated that this
line would reach around the globe; call
it 1000 miles, it is clear that it will take
force to project water through such a
tube, and that it would take more force
to project molasses. Now, if the heart
projects normal blood through. this
tube. it is also clear that it would have
to work harder to project abnormaAy
thick blood, and SO doing would grow
bigger. The nerves of the heart are
automatic, and do their work in their
way as the nerves of the head do
theirs. They appear to know when there
is obstruction to the circulation, and
they make the heart beat harder.
When was medical studenta snake
was brought to be killed. It was in a
deep, empty glass jar, and stream of
carbonic acid gas was turned on. In a
few minutes it was dead. All the gas was
not used, but was turned on to the back
of my hand; soon the skin was livld
lead color, was devoid of feeling, and
paralyzed. Now this gas largely form
ed in the stomach, becomes absorbed
through the heart sac, and paralyzes
the heart. Probably this was so with
Secretary Window. He had eaten and
then he spoke The force used in speak
ing was taken from the work of diges-
ton SO that the blood fermented, or he
may have been drinking carbonic acid
water, and the stomach was full of car
bonic acid gas Thence it exosposed
into the heart sac and death followed.
I knew a doctor .(who knew better) to
die from eating food which he knew
would ferment, simply because he pre-
ferred the taste of his viands to their
pathological effects. He is not alone;
so long as mankind lives to eat and does
not eat to live, just so long will sudden
deaths from weak hearts occur.
It is not a wonder that Secretary
Window died; it is marvel that he
lived as long as he did. If his previous
history is correctly given, he had symp
| toms of heart disease for some time
He was liable to die any moment, as
DR.. Sims died in bed, Rev. DR.. Dexter
on a lounge, Dr. Cowden at the bedside
j of patient, Almon w. Griswold on thu
| elevated road, and many others. W.
! should be thankful that Secretary Win
/ dom was permitted to read his address
and thus splendidly close his life, for
SO long as he lived on the conventional
diet of starch and sugar in excess, NJ
one could tell how long he could sur
vive.
/ Again Secretary Window had treat
i ment, but it was neutralized by to-
close attention to business and possibl!
by the late financial, worldwide panic
. in which people looked to the govern
ment for relief for the evils brought OF
by speculation. People forget it is worl
to live-that each person has limited
amount of dynamic energy to expent
! in doing life work. Ten hours of brazil
! work day is enough. Longer worl
than this steals from some other organ
If it is the heart, it will give out. 1
It is the stomach, it will not digest tn
food. If one has broken bone AM
works too hard, the bone will not unite
: So when people overeat or eat food tina
! is hard to digest, they put like strait
on their system.-N. Y. Tribune.