Evening star., 1900-01-13
SIX HUNDRED DISEASES
Number of Ills to Which Human Flesh is
Heir
Many and Varied Are the MaIadie.
With Which Man is Inflicted {
During His Life.


From the Baltimore Sun.
To face over 600 diseases to which the
flesh of frai 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 a well-known physician, in
clude only diseases as such, and not in
juries, growths and accidents which require
surgical attention. and yet may properly
be included among the ills of flesh.
To go into the realms of surgery, with
its growthS fractures, dislocations, wounds,
would more than double the number of
diseases. Indeed, the multiplication would
be almost endless, as each particular break
| of bone. each wound of a bullet, or each
confusion of an accident could be counted a
separate disease. What with tropical dan
gers and war risks of soldiers in distant
lands the chances would seem to be largely
increased in some form other.
ray of hope is held out, however. in the
fact that there is escape from many of
these diseases for a large number of the
countrys habitants. as is evidenced by
the increasing population. in spite of the
large array of maladies. Then. too, it must
be remembered that only a small proper
ton 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 ply
sicians~ become more familiar with COM
batting 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 it is con-
sidered that some forms of disease attack
only the young and other forms attack
only the old, those of certain age, the
chances 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 and recovered
rat iva 10
leave their mark for life. it were, en-
gendering other complaints which go to
make up the list of sick dangers.
From another point of view the diseases
may be apportioned among the various eX-
ternal parts and organs of the body,
in a measure cutting down the total for the
whole body at the expense of some particu-
lar part. Thus. the head may be subject
to SO simple disease the falling out of
hair, or so serious a one as the tearing eff
of the scalp by accidental means. The one
is apt to occur to almost any one. while the
other happens only in rare accidents. Again.
a simple exposure to cold may cause a
soreness and 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 it with having a steel chisel
shot into the head, as was the case with
recent patient in Baltimore. from whose
skull the iron was successfully removed.
simple headache, while annoying, may
be due to traceable arrangement of the
nerves or brain. On the other hand, the
growth OF a tumOr IN the brain or the
blood clot formed from ruptured dis
eased blood vessel may, by its pressure on
an important nerve center. cause paralysis
| of lin b the whole side of the body.
Outside of the zymotic diseases. 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 Inflammation.
Thus. one form of Inflammation of the mu-
cous lining Of the throat will produce SIM
pie sore throat. while another form of in
ffammation of the same tissues will cause
deadly case of diphtheria. Thus too. an
infiamma ton of the membranes lining the
interior of the lungs will be called pneu-
monia, while another form of inflamma-
tion of the membrane covering the lung is
| called pleursy. So it goes through various
tissues and organs of the body. each having
| a variety of forms of Inflammation, particu-
larized as diseases which are known by this
or that name.
A single organ may be subject to nearly
score Of diseases, as, for instance. the
liver, about which much Is said and writ
ten and which receives much blame for the
varying moods of man. In a well-known
work on the practice of medicine the liver
has set down to 1t fifteen diseases with
which its owner may suffer.
Besides the specific disease which is sup
posed to attack all weli-ordered hearts in
their youth and leave them more or less
affected throughout life. the medical writ
ers assign half . dosen diseases to that