, 1898-01-15

In many cases. the first thing which sug
gests that there is anything wrong ls the
occurrence of an attack # shiverlng a few
DAYS after the il aic, ion If the injury. This
shiyering attack OF rigour is usually pro
IOnged aud severe, and is followed 10y fever
ishness, nausea, OF actual vomiting, headache.
olammy skin nd fuIIed tongue, with some
times diarrhna aud llghlheudednrsS. The
person now brought under the Observation OF
The doctor is pronounced to be suffering from
''blood-poisnnlng." and the subsrqpont course
Of evsn:s will depend npon SeIrral %fuctors,
as to which | shall say nothing just now.
In some cases improvement begins TO show
itself after a few days treatment, and
convalescence IL either rnpid or fairly 30. In
other cAses, improvement is longer IN taking
place. and then convalescsnoe is apr to he
long and tedious, with considerable altera.
ton in the subsequent health Of the sufferer.
In still other cases. the disease runs n more
or less rapidly fatal course despite all that
We can do TO stay its progress.
Such, briefly stated. is the condition of
things when "blood- poisoning" snpervenes
after an injury. What is it that lies at the
root of all this trouble ? What is the essen
tial factor in it's production, and why should
IL WOUiIU III OhO DFlbOb NC "a - p'ONO'
poisoning when the same wound in forty
nine others get we'll without any untoward
symptom?
propose, briefly to put you IN possesslaE
Of 70 much information az shall enable you to
find an answer to these questions.
After every injury which results in a
wound of the surfuce of the body, ~ we'll as
in mauy in which here is no wound, there
=. 49,, no,to5, JoUroa Of OnnetitntinunI
disturbance. In slight injuries this is so
little M to give rise to no easily appreciate
Evmptoms but in more severe ones its pre-
senoe is seen by q sIight rise in the bodily
temperature, increasel frequency Of the pulse,
some Turing Of the tongue, loss OF appetite,
and constitution. In W or three days,
however, all these symptoms disappear, and
the healing Of the wound gees on, whilst
tho patient rem aims as well as he was before
the injury. 1t is 10 be carefully noticed
that these symptoms are simply the re-
suit of the action within the body of a
fernent set free during the initial stages
Of repair, and that they are natural to all
healthy repair and subside of themselves.
They are, therefore, normally present
after all injuries, and do no harm to the
Individual; the fermeut is nntO poison in The
ordinary sense, and SO the symptoms cannot
he said to be due to septic or poisonous
products in the body. Surprising, however,
thot q wound is contaminated Nv dirty dress.
inQs. or by being covered all over with
..Aticking-plnster," is allowed to discharge
imperfectIy or not Al all, or by careIesSnsss
il allowed to come in contact with the blood
or Aash of some animal which has died from
an Infections disease. then We lave a CON
...- - tb;vrs X-,rv 5iH rant ia that In
soribed above, cor as he result of the care
l~essuess or of improper treatment, ~" fluid the
wound the sent Of changes Of a putrefnoiiye
or accompanying character, with all the
poisonous matters which result from such
changes.
Th4 wound is now said 10 be septic, or