The morning news., 1899-12-12
OVER SIX HUNDRED DISEASES.
Many Are the Naladies With Which
Man Is Afflicted In His Life.
From the Baltimore Sun.

From the Baltimore Sun.
To face over 900 diseases to which the
flesh of frail humanity is heir is the un-
pleasant prospect which stares in the face
the human being who is about TO enter the
twentieth century. These. according TO
the testimony of well-knoWn physician
include only diseases as such. and not IN
iuries, growths and accidents which re-
auire surgical attention, and yet may
properly be included among the Ills Of
flesh.
To go into the realms of surgery, with
its growths, fractures, disiocatlons
wounds, would more than double the num-
ber of diseases. Indeed, the multiplication
would be almost endless, as each oartic-
ular break of a bone, each wound of a
bullet or each confusion of an accident
could be counted a separate disease What
with tropical dangers and war risks of sol
diers in distant lands, the chances would
seem to be largely increased in some form
or other.
A ray of hope is held out, however. in
the fact that there is escape from many
of these diseases for a large number or
the countrYs inhabitants, as is evidenced
by the increasing population, in spite OF
the large array of smaladies. Then, TOO,
1t must be remembered that only small
proportion of the diseases are necessarily
fatal and with the present advance in
the science of medicine some of the other
may ere long be taken from the danger
list as physicians become more familiar
with combating them and bring out new
remedies which are their ammunition in
the fight for health.
From infancy to old age man is beset by
the perils of Illness, but when il is consid-
cred that some forms of disease attack
only the young and other forms attack
only the old, or those of a certain age, the
chances are still more in favor of the aver
age sojourner In the world escaping one
or the other. Some diseases may be borne
without serious consequences ana recover
ed from with comparative ease, While oth-
ers leave their mark for life, as it were,
engendering other complaints winch go 10
make up the list of sick dangers.
From another point of view the diseases
may be appoFtioned among the various
external parts and organs of the body for
the In a measure cutting down the total
for the whole body at the expense of some
! particular part Thus, the head may DC
subject to SO simple a disease as the fall
| ing out of hair or so serious a one as
| the tearing off of the scalp by accidental
means. The one is apt to occur to almost
| any one. while the other happens only Ia
rare accidents. Again, simple exposure
| to cold may cause a soreness ana STIFFNESS
In the muscles of the neck, which, for a
| few days, may be extremely trying to the
man of affairs But this is not in il with
having a steel ehisel shot into the head, rs
was the case with q recent patient In
| Baltimore, from whose skull the iron was
successfully removed.
A simple headache. while annoying, may
be due to no traeeable arrangement ol
the nerves or brain. On the other hand
| the growth Of a tumor In the brain or tht
blood clot formed from ruptured or dis
eased blood vessel may, by its pressure on
an important nerve center cause paralysis
Of limb or the whole side of the body.
Inflammation.
Outside of The zymotic diseases. or those
caused by the reproduction within the
body Of living germs. introduced from
without this physician says that. after all
the other diseases are merely forms Of in
hammation. Thue. one form OF lnhemma.
ton OF the mucuous lining OF the throat