The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-29
OF Pneumonia
Famous Physician Tells
About the Malady.
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city:
If a man reaches the age OF 3 in good
health he is. barring accident. practically
assured Of living until 50. unless he s car
ried OF by typhoid fever or pneumonia
OF the two pneumonia : BY far the more
dreadful It gives bat a few short days
OF warning before the fatal termination.
We have scarcely heard OF friend 5 sick
ness before his death is announced care
ful supervision OF the water supplies o.
large cities has greatly reduced the nor
taIity from typhoid-it has practically
ra5icated the disease in Berlin, Vienna
and Munich-but 10 way Of limiting the
ravages Of pneumonia have been found
After q remission OF virulence during
the spring and the summer. 1t begins IN
the fal 10 get in It's drai!y work, and
the number Of deaths from It increases
each month till April While il does not
despise the weaklings by the way. II de-
lights in taking of the very flower Of the
living Excluding tuberculosis. more than
80 per cent Of the deaths IN adults during
the minter months are due 10 pneumonia.
How TO avoid the disease Is. then,
very serious question. Pneumonia Is
without doubth usually due TO cold. but
rarely, II ever. due 70 cold alone. The
cause OF the disease Is microscopic
plant one Of the disease germs OF which
we hear so much nowadays Il was first
discovered nearly % years ago by Surgeon
General Sternberg. not in a case of pneu-
monia. but in the saliva OF a healthy per
son. Normal human saliva when inject
ed into the smaller animals. as guinea
pigs or rabbits, frequently causes death.
Il was while investigating this subject
that General Sternberg found that the
deadly element in the saliva in the fatal
cases was a micrococcus
Further study. especially in Germany.
showed this microbe II be the cause OF
pneumonia It has been found. in all civ
ilized countries al least 70 ne an almost
constant dweller in the human mouth
It looks Ike a paradox to say that We
carry the germ OF pneumonia with us all
the time, while comparatively so few con
tract the disease. Tbs reason IS not far
10 seek. Cold decreases our power II re-
sistance BY lowering the vitality. and so
the invasion Of the microbe Is permitted.
The history Of cases OF pneumonia gen
orally shows how important IN this lower
ease But Il IS not the cold alone that
plays the important role IN the develop
ment Of pneumonia. Patients usually tell
Of having been overtired at the time Of
their exposure to cold They have been
overworked for some time. they have lost
one or more nights sleep. they are labor
ing under severe emotion-grief. worry
and the like-or they have been losing
flesh for some time. Often the disturb
ance OF normal health is but Temporary
meal is missed. Or owing to the n-ess
OF business several IN succession are ia
ken hurriedly and iucomoIeteIy. or there
IS some excess, alcoholic or other. then
comes the exposure to cold and-pneu-
monia
The secondary factors are really the i'm
portaHt ones. Pneumonia Is not prevaIen.
IN countries in proportion to the SEVERITY
or their climates. II IS much more COM
mon - large cities than IN the country
me hurry and hustle OF Ife the never
relaxing tension Of competition. the strur-
gle for existence, tempt the inha 6itants OF
cities 70 that neglect OF the nlainest rules
OF health which makes exposure 10 cold
serious Nature has an ample provision
or conservative force stored awav ~ nro
tect US from cold but her economy Js
disturbed from neglect.
There Is another important circumstance
mat accounts for the occurrence Of pueu-
monia 50 frequently IN cold weather and
us constant increase in frequency unt1
the warm weather comes once more. II
Is the custom 70 think Of microbes az al
ways harmful Nothing is further from
the truth. The number % microbes %
benefit 10 mankind is as legion .compsro5
to those that DO harm. The mouth e con
stanily the habitat az a large VARIETY ~
microbes. They constitute what Is known
as the fora n the mouth. Just AZ We
talk OF the fora-that is. the plant ufa-
OF country. Now. OF the fora az The
mouth many species. instead II baInz
harmful, are helpful 10 digestion and m
other natural processes Certain of them
particularly prevent the growth Of other
microbes that might Be harmful
Metschnikoff. the distinguished Russian
scientist. whom Russian Official fntole--
ance drove to France. 70 the sorrow ~
all intelligent Russians. has demonstrated
at the Pasteur institute the quality ~
microbes to favor or hinder The growth
Of other microbes He inoculated plate
~ geiatiHe with the cholera vibrio. the
cause Of Asiatic cholera.
After waiting some hours. but before
any Of the cholera germs rad begun "a
grow visi5ly. he inoculatsd the plate With
two other microbes. one - which ~ knew
favored while the other hinsersd. the
growth of the cholera germ These Gee
on5 NEGOTIATIONS we're made fu t-va fires
cross-<haD ped Along one ~ there U-as
the cholera germs grew NTH special tux
urisnCe; along the other they failed "a
grow 81 all Even where tie tire crossed
there was no g-owta While for sorre dis
raacs from the ooir- r. frt4r=s~ti-n .hs
growth vas muCh zDa-ser along the li-e
where the fsvortrz germs had beer v7z-
than 81 TIE rest % thas Ire The l-Hfs.-
tory microbes. ss they arr called. pos
sesze5 enough influence 20 coUr-aract that
% the favorable nforo5e entirely
u winter The microbes that binder
too i1xHriart growth - the germ = a-e1-
mona in the nouta 10 not roerIs- sz
waH AZ IN warm weather Tsrzer plants
diEsr very much IN their behavi7r :. r7f5.
80 that 20 f. not surprising thz, micro
eco7'c plants should sizo show dfre-e-res
r hss Been dsm5ns-rste5 exoerfr7satsf'-
IN she laboratory that re germ ~ Te-1-
MONA s3-s rot -szfst cold velL r, g-cEz
~ ior tew5e-ztgrsr a. wzica otsr- pa
th0zsnc germs absolutely refuse ~ aour-
2sa. Al Important pr'-cip}s ths7 -
guarding against r1ea119ais g r. keep
tha mouth healthy Wash = 11t s-e-
auently hgt gently. and n5t vith rev
fz1Ee5 snftsep.ies that 60 mo-s sara
than Fr55- have 5eesyfag tsrth aHeS. as
they invite the presence - fora foreign