The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-02
Medical Notes.


Contrary to the common belief boils are
not indicative of blood disease. They are
really indications of local poisoning by
pus-bearing germs, and the boil is an alb
scess. Every pin prick, every scratch,
every abrasion, every cut with razor
or poclletknife, every splinter that enters
the skin may cause a boil. Nor need
the wound be a serious one; it may be so
minute as to be invisible to the unaided
eye Nor is the result always produced,
for If it should be, every slight wound,
every thorn prick, every scratch of
cat, every bite of a dog, every abrasion
of the skin, would be followed by dis
astrous, If not fatal, consequences. The
reason for this immunity is that there
is a certain inherent power of the body
to resist these noxious agents and it is
only when the powers of the body are
weakened by disease that the morbific
agents can thrive in the body and accom-
plish their evil work. In this sense, then,
boils are diseases due to disease of the
blood, but 1t is not a disease in itself.
High living also favors boils. DR.. Reid
speaking Of pus. and incidentally of boils,
says: Job was probably run down by
long period of debauchery. We
read that the devil had him in tow some
time before his boIIs broke out IT, now
he could have had the counsel of three
good physicians, instead of as many tire
some thelogians, he would have had his
system toned up; his broken potsherd,
with which che scraped himself, withal,'
thus spreading sympathy and infection,
would have been taken from him, and
he would have been taught few lessons
I'm sanitary science, instead of theology.
The reason why boil is always in the
worst place is because that is the most
exposed place. The back of the neck,
where the collar rubs the microbes into
the skin; the wrist, where the cuffs ir-
ritate. and make the entrance Of germs
more easy; the top of the foot, where
the shoe pinches; the razor-swept chin
are all favorite worst places"
IT is common although unjust re-
proach that medicine has not progressed,
BUT ever in the administration of medi-
cine there has been great advance. There
are many persons who can remember with
disgust the nauseous remedies OF fifty
years ago A capsule had never been
thought Of and the nearest approach to
a sugar-coated pill was a slippery mass
of slippery elm wrapped around the aloes,
podophylum, scammony and gamboge
pill. which was as large as g marble and
was swallowed with much gagging and
tine-eoated pill, tablespoonful of the
Eawdust or chips of Peruvian bark was
wet and washed down with warm water.
Instead Of cffervescing powders a spoon
ful Of Epson or Glauber's salts was dis
solved In a little hot water and washed
down with q cupful of SIENNA tea Con-
lection Of SIENNA tied the sufferer up In
the knots of collie. People were purged
with heroic doses of calomel. gamboge or
jalap or nauseated by tartar emetic
Now, all that has been changed; crude
and nauseoas drugs have given way TO
active principles extracted from them; bo-
luses have given way to minute sugar
coated pellets; even the old-fashioned
cream of tartar and sulphur, good
thing, by the way, has also been super
seeded by compressed tablets, and such
powders as have survived are also COM
pressed and often coated. These certain
~ prove that medicine has advanced in
pIeassntness, If not efficacy.
According 20 McGrew there are three