The Saint Paul globe., 1900-11-11
Medical Notes.


DIR. Elgood, writing in the Lancet, re-
cords q case which may serve as a
warning 10 all who use stoves. Two woIn-
en- were washing in workhouse laundry
provided with a stove and a large, hot
air driving ROOM The elder woman want
ed 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,
st: etched full length up3n the floor One
revived and survived. but the elder died.
The survivor remembered nothing of the
circumstances but that she felt a swim
my feeling in her head and sat down on
bench near the door, An Investigation
showed that coal had f.bsca heaped into
the stove until it ad e c5yered the inner
opening of tie stove Ripei5 thus blocking
the tiue and sendirg aA.5tae fumes and
gases into the closed Eoe1re In the ordi-
nary type of Ame icanscoek stoves such
an accident could MT easily occur but in
some parl0r stoves the. tlasa may be par
TALLY or wholly blocked. With the drafts
closed, however, quantity OF carbonic
oxide and caIbOnic acid gas, given off by
the coal, especially during incomplete
combustion, fills the rooti and causes at
least severe headache and a general
tired out feeling, which is referred to
anything but the right cause This is as
true of the kitchen stove ascot the parlor
heater, and many a housewife is made
miserable by slow poisoning by coal gas.
which becomes in time chronic there be-
ing an actual. alteration. Of The blood
In summer this is not netiqed so much
because the windows ana doors are omen
and the foul air is diluted and rendered
less noXious by the ingress of fresh Asr
from without, but as soon as the cold
weather necessitates the. closing OF the
doors and windows. the kousewite's head
ache begins and she does not realize that
she Is suffering from stove headache
When the e0aI is run under full blast. in
the sleeping room, il is not exceed. .ngIy
dangerous, aside f, ON the fact tnat It
purns out the oxygen Of the air and rem
ders 1t less vitaliZing, out when at the
most dangerous time, during the night
the drafts are tightly closed, the danger
Gus gases emanating from the stove men
ace not only health but life.
Ihe fuel also may be dangerous to life
Dr. Baines reports a case in which a fam
lily suffered from grave symptoms of lead
poisoning, and one OF the children died
investigation in this case showed that for
week previous to the Illness in the fam
lily slaves obtained by breaking up old
barrels which had contained white lead
had been used for firewood and the
fumes of which had not only permeated
the air taroughort the house, but had ac-
tually entered into the food cooked over
the fire. The moral IS clear; it is not
always safe to use any old kind of wood
for cooking or heating purposes
Among the causes of kidney disease Dr.
Davis places overeating 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. hard-working man who over
eats is liable to an attack OF acute kid
ney disease, which In turn has a tendency
TO become chronic and serious but ON the
other hand, a sedentary life, with the ex-
cesslYe use of meats as food leads to the
same condition. In a case of acute iIt-
hammatien of the kidneys he recon-
mehds that the patient be put to bed and
all food withheld for at least twenty-four
hours Then milk should be given in
small Quantities at first and continued. tln-
III two quarts are taken daily
MILK Is especially good in these cases
as 1t Is nutritious, easily digested and
absorbed, and if it Is not paIatab!e it
can be made so by the addition of starchv
loods, sugar or fruits Other food NAV
De taken as recovery progresses, but red
meat should be prohibited Bread, but
ter potatoes, green vegetables anu fruit
are permissible, but meat extracts and
meats rich in extractiveG matter 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 De used in modefa ton. but alcohol
- 70 oe stflctIy forbidden in any form.
There are many diseases similar in
character to writer's cramp. resulting
from over use of certain muscles and
nerves. among them being telegrapher's
crah1p and type-wrfters eramp. These
are diseases, so to speak, Of necessity"
lne result OF constant application at a
"age-earn1ng occupation Piano PLAYERS
cramp, however. is not disease of ne
cesslty' nut Of luxury as a rule Not
only is the piano player affected with this
cranp, but actual diseases occur requ:r-
ing surgical treatment and nervous ex-
nd IIl lustioa may be caused by piano playing
iteH II becomes task ZabIudewski
does not class the disease Of piano play
81 81 among those of occupation, but says
l. ~ IS a alsease resulting from infiamma-
ton oi one or more nerves Of the arms,
haVlIS It's origin in a muscle or joint
Whlch mas been injured by too much
piano playing Most of these affected are
puplls IN eonservatories. who have small
ana INN bones, or weak Joints or hands
M MIiluon 100 small to comfortably span an
octave. The treatment consists chiefly
IN rest and not in massage and exercise.
AS preventive Of suchztrouble DR.. Zab-
IuaoWskl believes that. there should be
chlldren's piano having smaller, closer
SET Keys, that there small hands may not
pe oVerstretcfed or overtaKed-
%%@
According to Health everything
taken .nto the stomach. affects it much
more when the stomach is empty, be-
cause it then comes, in direct contact
WITH the organ, whereas. If food is pres
ent 1t Is mixed ana diluted with this
medicinal desc OF pru3sft acid, for ex-
a,iiaie, may not affect a person disagree
any II taken after breakfast, but would