The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-29

inhicts with mental incapaclties is
probably greater than the number of
persons whose lives it prolongs.
At the same time it is a fact that the
disease, though one of the most terri
BILE known TO medical science, does you
a great deal of good if you are capa-
BILE of throwing it off without suffer-
ing after effects of a more serious
character than being pitted with the
queer little marks it almost invaria-
bly, leaves behind to distinguish its
past-time victims.
Numbers of elderly persons. in more
or less feeble health, are kept alive by
coughs, such, for instance, as bron-
chitis. Chronic coughs are peculiarly
common to old people, and hundreds
who complain of the distress caused
by such affections are really indebted
to their coughs for their length of life.
The reason of this is that most elderly
persons suffer with weak hearts and
feeble circulations of blood, and weak
hearts become weaker and weaker
merely as result of their weakness.
A constant cough corrects this, keeps
the heart beating more strongly than
IL otherwise would, and the strong
heart beat keeps the blood circulating
more quickly, and the vital organs arc
thus kept in a state of activity which
could only be maintained by artificial
means, and for a limited time. but for
the troublesome cough.
Moreover, the constant reminders
given by the cough deter the sufferers
from running risks of catching colds.
In other words, they have to study
their health or suffer more acutely
from their coughs, and, choosing the
former, they benefit accordingly.
Govt and rheumatism are exceedingly
nHinfl1I nd IF IN,
some cases prove fatal, but they con-
fer many blessing upon mankind, and
rheumatism particularly is we'll known
to doctors as a preventive of many
other diseases. 1t is a notorious fact
that equity subjects generally live to
ripe age, and albeit they suffer very
severely at times, they generally enjoy
excellent general health, the very
causes of the govt keeping their blood
in good condition and making it. unen-
durable to many kinds of microbes.
Cases have occurred of whole house
holds, except ono member, being
stricken down with infectious diseases,
and the lucky exception has been a
suiferer from rheumatism or govt,
which alone has prevented him from
contracting the diseases which have
run through the house Such sufferers
do not run half the risk of catching the
common illnesses that non-sufferers
run, and large proportion of the peo-
pie who reach ages over fourscore years
are people who for years have suffered
from govt or rheumatism, to which
fact they undoubtedly owe many of the
years they have lived over the allotted
span.
Take haf-dozen persons over the
age of 20 who suffer from rheumatism
or govt, and half dozen others who
suffer from neither and you will find
that, except for their rheumatism or
govt. they enjoy very much better
health than the non-sufferers, and
stand splendid chance of OUTLYING
the later. Moreover, govt and rheuma-
tlsm greatly enhance a sufferers
chances of retaining his mental facul-
ties until the end; a large percentage
or centenarians who die with all their
wits about them, and with excellent
memories of the days of their youth.
have suffered for many year from
rheumatism, and been particularly free
from other diseases.
The loss of leg or an arm Is also
said to do you good in the long run.
Perhaps that is an awkward phrase
to apply to the loss of a leg, but let it
stand. 1t certainly seems that when a
man is deprived of a leg or an arm, the
vitality and vigor of the lost member
remain with him to increase the vital
ity of the remainder.
1t has been declared by an eminent
authority that when a man has a leg
cut off, he being in sufficiently good
health not to collapse from the opera
ton, adds two to three, sometimes
more, years on to his later DAYS.