The National tribune., 1891-04-23
Written Tor The NATIONAL TErRrSE.
BEALTH BINTS
For Old and Young.
ny FELIX T.. OSWALD, ND.
BY FELIX L. OSWALD, VI. D.
CHAPTEE elk.
GROUP AND GRIPPE.

congestion Of the iaTynx. Not more than 80
years ago children afflicted with that complaint
died in five out Of ten cases. They became
black in the face, gasped for air and al last
ceased to breathe, in consequence Of the forma-
ton Of a false membrane Of the laTyHx, as the
family ply stefan explained it, but really much
Oitener in Consequence Of the smotheriug proc
ess adopted by that same medicine nan. The
child was blistered about the neck, dossd with
mercury and anthony, and then Chucked into
a mass OF feather beds. in 4 room kept at swell
ter-heat, and carefully guarded against every
sbre1th Of fresh air.
Experience has since proved that the sick
room in such cases cannot be kept 100 airy and
IN desperate cases, when the patient has be-
come too weak To cough, DR.. Nicmayer recon-
mends the following method as an almost in
iallIble eXpedient for stimulating the action Of
the respiratory organs: Place tho child in
warm bath Of temperature Of 10 10 llJ de-
grces Fahrenheit. Immcrsc il up TO the shout
ders and pour cold water on its head and the
naPe Of the neck. The quick. sp1sm0dic breath
ing thus excited will generally suffice to expel
the accumulated phlegm. In less severe cases
the formation OF a false membrane can often DO
prevented altogether by applying hot water to
the throat by means Of flannel congresses, or
spOngcs held IA place by towel or shawl. In
mediate relief can often be obtained by chang
ing the throat in contact with linen bag filed
with crushed ice. At the same time the patient
should be made % iuhalc vapOr o. hot water or
better yet. Of water and vinegar mixed and
heated TO the boiling point. The wbeezugsouud
OF respiration viii yield 10 rattins ia the throat
soon followed by cough which for the next
two minutes will remove the danger OF suif1ca-
ton. The remedial applications, both the fan
mel congresses aud the hot vapOr, should, how
ever, be continued till the patient has recover
ed sufficiently to sit up and respiration has
become easier and more regular.
4 large dose Of mercury brought often such
prompt relief that the connection Of cause
aud effect could not be doubted but that relief
is evidently only temporary suppression Of
the symptoms, for after the lapse Of a period
varying from few minutes % a couple of
hours the sutlocating fit would suddenly return
and generally with much increased severity.
An hour after the physician had cen dismissed,
and perhaps In the middle Of the night the
fatal Growing" sound was heard again and
the child weakened by the exHau5ting after
effects Of the previous remedies" would die
before help could be summoned. And even If
the doctor had kept an aII-uight vigil at the
bedside, the sGddcuncss aud maIignity Of the
reaction frequently put the combined suppress
sion Of the symptoms beyond his control, and
the child died in its mummy -shrOud Of blisteT5
and warm quilts.
By the present method Group has become
decidedly manageable disease. and experience
will probably soon reduce grippe" or conta-
giOus Catarrh TO the same ella Of disorders
/ The coutIgOusucss Of that complaint has by
this time been established 20 the satisfaction
Of all skeptics, but as to the best plan forayOd-
( ing infection opinions arc az yet strangely di-
yided-thO5e Of medical specialists as we'll as
Of their patients. Even without professional
advice, five ont OF six persons would keep their
influenza is in the air" again. The truth Is
that chronic catarrh does not spread through
spaces 81 the outdoor atmosphere, bat is ped
died from room % room and from house 10
house snuIlling youngster may commuui-
cate 10 - a whole class Of his schoOlmatcs
coughing brother in q prominent pew %
whole churchfull Of his fellow wOrshipeFs
especially IT the process Of infection is favored
/ by artificial heat aud lack of yeuti!atory con-
! tTiyanccs. Warm, staguant air is a H0t-bed for
tIc development Of pulmonary disease germs.
and all sorts Of respiratory affections are most
malignant at a time when those conditions
coincide with outdoor warmth, for instance,
during a week OF premature Spring weather,
when the thermometer rises TO go in the
shade OF an open porch, but the earlness Of
the season makes the housekcepr hesitate
about the propriety Of opening window or let
ting the stove fire 20 out.
Last year. when the Fayag0s Of the grippe
| yielded 20 the influence Of the first clear.Cold
October weather, it was pr0pheciei that the
mysterious epidemic would pay Us another visit
/ i'm Spring aud that prediction was fulfilled
| during the last week Of March, when numer-
| Gus cases Of iufdenZI" were reported almost
/ simultaneously from New York city, Pittsburg,
I Pa, and from central Ohio. In Pittsburg and
/ the adjoining town of Allegauy several Of
| those eases had terminated fatally. The atfec-
| ton had generally begun with ordinary ca
| taFrh, followed by sick headache nausea and
continuous chi!ls, accompanied by symptoms
/ often resembling those OF acute Pneumonia,
/ and great exhaustion Of the nervous system.
| How rapidly the epidemic spread my he in
| terrcd from the fact that on the 10Th OF March
/ the Board Of Health reported ,2JO cl5 s. q num-
| Der which a week after had increases! to J,500
/ with "a go per cent. increase in the average Of
/ the death-rate. A Pittsburg Alderman, whose
| condition was published in tho dai ~ papers
died on the sixth day after taking to his bed
/ and remained unconscious for the last % hours,
! being only now and then awakened by distress
! ing suilocating fits. He had long been subject
to coughs aggravated by hemOrrhage from the
lungs, but had rarely thought il worth while
| to patrOniZe Il drugstore on that account, and
in other respects enjoyed as much good health
| as generally fall, TO the lot Of men Of his age
In other words influenza accomplished in
six days what ordinary Catarrhs had failed to
/ do in twice rs many years. Ia other cases tho
recovery Of the patients was delayed by a
| weakness comparable only 10 the worst after
| effects Of typhoid fever. Cough and breathing
| difficulties had subsidized, but the COnyalescents
complained OF dizziness. Of want of appetite
! waking visions. etc, and were often unable to
| walk without assistance from their beds to q
| chimney corner in the same room.
A still more remarkable form Of influenza T"
| is reported from the town Of South Charleston
| in Clarke County, o. An epidemic of catarrh,
| occasionally severe enough 10 be mistaken for
| grippe had prevailed in the neighboring viii
| lagos for several weeks, when a young woman
| Of Clarke County, not usually subject to
| troubles Of that sort, was seized with a sort OF
| hay-fever, which on the third day assumed the
| form of q violent and irrepTes7ible sneeZing-
| 10. The patient kept sneezing as il the atmOs-
| phere had been loaded with Spanish snuff. al
| first much 60 the amusement Of her friends.
| who, however. became very much alarmed
| when the phenomenon failed to subside at the
| approach Of night, and the watchers mt the
| sick bed reported that she had been sneezing
| till morning, and was still III IT, having been
| unable TO get minutes sleep and feeling still
| less inclined TO take n mOuthful Of food At
| last accounts the patient, by much persuasion.
| has been induced TO swallow a few spoonfuIs of
| milk, but her strength is last falling aud she
| Is believed to be sneezing herself To death.
| And yet the close affinity Of that strange
| epidemic 20 a common cold has been recog-
niZed even by superficial Observers Influenza.
| in fact, presents all the symptoms of catarrh
| in an aggravated form. Sick headaches ehills
| lack of apnetiLe feverishuesq folInvyed br