The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-11
MEDICAL NOTES.
prepared for the sunday Journal by
an Old PractitiOner.)

~
DR.. Elgood, writing in the Lancet, rec
ords a case which may serve as a warning
to all who use stoves. Two women were
washing in a workhouse laundry provided
will a stove and a large, hot-air drying
room. The elder woman wanted to cook
some potatoes on the lid of the stove, and
built up an unusually hot fire, closing the
windows that the extra heat might not be
noticed outside. Some time later another
woman opened the door and found both
women insensible. stretched full length
upon the floor. One revived and survived,
but the elder died. The survivor remem-
bered nothing Of the circumstances, but
that she felt a ''swimmy" feeling in her
head and sat down on a bench near the
door. An investigation showed that coal
had been heaped into the stove until it
had covered the inner opening of the stove
| pipe, thus blocking the 1ue and sending all
the fumes and gases into the closed room.
In the ordinary type Of American cook
stove such an accident could not easily oc-
cur. but in some parlor stoves the fiue may
be partially or wholly blocked. With the
drafts closed, however, a quantity of car
oOAAO OaA0C 4hN ~ 5ASt ~
by the coal. especially during incomplete
| combustion, oils the room and causes at
least a severe headache and a general
tired-out feeling. which is referred to any
thing but the right cause. This Is as true
of the kitchen stove as of the parlor heater,
| and many a housewife is made miserable
by slow poisoning by coal gas, which be-
| comes In time chronic, there being an ac-
tual alteration OF the blood In summer
this is not noticed so much because the
windows and doors are open and the foul air
is diluted and rendered less noxious by the
ingress of fresh air from without, but as
soon as the cold weather necessitates the
closing of the doors and windows the
housewives headache begins ana she does
not realize that she is suffering from
"stove" headache. When the coal stove Is
run under full blast in the sleeping room
1t is not exceedingly dangerous, aside from
the fact that 1t burns out the oxygen of the
air and renders 1t Jess vitalizing, but when,
at the most dangerous time during the
night, the drafts are tightly closed the
dangerous gases emanating from the stove
menace not only health, but life. The fuel
also may be dangerous to life. DR.. Baines
reports a case in which a family suffered
from grave symptoms Of lead poisoning,
and one of the children died. Investigation
In this case showed that for a week pre-
vious to the illness in the family slaves OBJ
tanned by breaking up old barrels which
had contained white lead had been used for
frewood and the fumes OF lead had not
OILY permeated the air throughout the
house, but had actually entered into the
&C., a@OIvol 1r-o~ the Er1 -rt.. -xx-or g.
clear: 1t is not always safe to use any old
kind of wood for cooking or heating pur-
poses.
Among the causes OF kidney disease DR..
Davis placed overheating and injudicious
eating, and thinks that cold and wet are
factors only as they induce rheumatic dis
orders having a reflex action on the kid
neys. A Woodworking man who overeats
is liable to an attack of acute kidney dis
ease. which in turn has a tendency to be-
come chronic and serious, but. on the
other hand, a sedentary life with the ex-
cessive use of meats as food leads to the
same condition. In a case of acute in
fammation of the kidneys he recommends
that the patient be put to bed and all food
Withheld for at least twenty-four hours.
Then milk should be given in small guam
titles at first and continued until two
quarts are taken daily. Mix is especially
good In these cases, as Ii Is nutritious,
easily digested and absorbed. and if it IS
not palatable II can be made so by the
addition of starchy foods. sugar OF fruits.
Other food may be taken as recovery
progresses. but red meat should be prohib-
tied. Bread, butter, potatoes, green veg
etables and fruit are permissible, but meat
extracts and meats rich in extractive mat
ter should be avoided. Eggs may be used.
and squads, chicken. ham. cold pork and
lamb may be cautiously eaten. but beef,
| mutton and the coarser kinds OF fish should
be forbidden. Coffee and cocoa may be
used In moderation. but alcohol is to be
strictly forbidden In any form.
There are many diseases similar In char
acter to writer's cramp. resulting from
overuse OF certain muscles and nerves.
among them bsing telegraphsr's cramp and