The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-03-07
A New Way With Colds.

VdhluS OO1o Ao AAoAAAS Soo "-S
and accumulating some evidence in
its favor. One of the chief opponents
Of this doctrine at present is a Ger
man physician, who has based his
practice for more than ten years, and
his results are so striking and of such
very great Importance that an account
of a recent visit to him will be OF
general interest. The great impor-
tance of his theory lies in the fact
that it is an inference from it that the
usual means Of cure for colds, and
still more the usual means Of preven-
tion, are Numerically the opposite OF
what they should be, and SO are not
only ineffective, but produce the very
opposite of the desired result. Ac-
cording to our doctor, what we usually
do to avoid colds are the very things
which cause colds.
In word, the theory is that colds
are infectious diseases, and not the
mere results Of draughts or cold air,
which, it is maintained, are in them
selves harmless, or at all events very
nearly so.
The time-honored idea that colds
are caused by draughts, vet, cold,
chills, and so on, is declared to be
nothing but superstition. Ut
course, people will say they know they
catch colds from draughts because
they have colds after they have felt
draught. But, we must be on our
guard against the old fallacy of post
hoe proper hoe. Because we have a
cold after feeling draught it does
not necessarily follow that the
draught caused it, and our doctor has
a mass Of facts to show that it was
not. His patients sit in draughts,
habitually, and do not take cold.
Whenever we find ourselves with a
cold it is at least always possible that
we have caught it from somebody
else, far colds are so common that we
are certain to have been lately in the
company of someone with a cold.
THERE'S, therefore, always; at least, the
possibility of another cause than the
draught.
But the draught and the cold do
often seem very strongly to be the
cause and effect, and, on the other
hand, we do not notice any connection
between meeting person with cold
and taking cold ourselves. Why is
this? Our doctor's explanation is very
simple:
| l. he thinks he has discovered that
an ordinary cold takes about ten days
or fortnight to develop from the
time of infestion. Hence, Of course,
the second part of the mystery. Nat
urally, when we perceive we have a
cold, We do not think of connecting it
with an event which happened fort
night ago, which was too com
mon to make any mental impression,
and which we have, therefore, quite
forgotten.
2. We are told that the symptoms
of the cold having reached a certain
stage of development is feeling Of
chill, and our doctor will have it that
the chill we are sensible Of is this in
ternal chill, and not chill from the
draught, or that we only felt a chill
from the draught because we had al
ready cold which had arrived at this
stage. Hence the seeming obvious
ness of the connection between the
draught and the cold.
3. A third reason, which no doubt
helps to convince us that the draught
was the active cause, is the pre-con-
yiction or established orthodox belief
which we all hold that the cause Of
colds is draughts. Holding this be-
lief, when we find ourselves with a
cold we naturally search our memory
for recollection of any draught, and if
we have been in one recently are at
once sure that is the cause, merely be-
cause of this orthadox belief. Do we
ever similarly inquire what people
with colds we have been in contact
with?
So much for the theory. Now for
the practical evidence or facts as to
it's trial. In the first place we must
put up the doctor own patients. He
practiced for several years in Frank
fort, and within the last four years he
has built up quite a considerable cs-
tablishment at some distance from
there, for the reception of patients
with serious diseases. All the win
dows are open winter and summer.
All patients not actually confined to
their bed go out in all weathers, rain
or shine, and without wrapping up
more than just as they please for
mere comfort, and usually without
hats or bonnets. Even those confined
to their bed have the windows wide
open day and night. The patients
and visitors sit all through their meals
with windows open on two opposite
sides of the room, so that there is
generally strong through draught.
They sleep in the same way, with
large windows open at the widest, and
the wind often blowing right on to
their beds. There are several chill
dren there-not patients, but the
children of the doctor and of patients,
and they live in the same way. In