The Dickinson press., 1902-01-25
sEyERAL AFFucnoNs ItsAT HAVE
THEIR COMPENSATION.

pox generally live longer than people
who have not. Why this should be the
case there Is only an improved theory
to explain. and the theory u that the
microbes which 60 to make smallpox.
being very powerful and pugnacious.
swallow up the microbes Of many 9TH
er diseases which they find In the sys-
TENS Of the persons they attack: hence.
by contracting smallpox severely. you
stand a good chance Of eliminating
from your system other diseases which
would seize upon you at some. time OF
other and. likely enough. prove. fatal.
At the same time 1t must be admit.
ted that smallpox Is not scheduled as q
preventive medicine, and the number
Of persons 1t either kills. mains or in.
6icts with mental incapacities Ii prob
ably greater than the number of pers
sons whose lives it prolongs.
At the same time It is q fact that the
disease, though one OF the most terri
BILE known to medical science, does you
. great deal of good II you are capable
Of throwing It OF without suffering
after effects Of a more serious charac-
ter than being pitted with the queer
little marks 1t almost invariably leaves
behind to distinguish its victims. !.
Numbers Of elderly persons in more or
less feeble health ire kept alive by
coughs. such. for instance as bronchi.
It's. Chronic coughs are peculiarly com.
mon to old people, and hundreds who
complain of the distress caused them
by such affections are really indebted
to their coughs for their length Of life.
The a Of this is that most elderly
persons suffer with weak hearts and
feeble circulation Of the blood. and
weak hearts become weaker merely as
a result Of their weakness. A constant
cough corrects this. keeps the heart
beating more strongly than it other
wise would. and the strong heart beat
keeps the blood circulating more quick
"; and the vital organs are thus kept
in a state: OF activity which could only
he maintained by artificial means and
for a limited time but for the trouble
some 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.
Gout and rheumatism are exceeding.
" painful diseases and Of course Id
some cases prove fatal. hut they confer
many a blessing upon mankind. and
rheumatism particularly is well known
to- doctors rs a preventive OF many 9th.
en-. diseases. 1t is a notorious fact that
gonty subjects generally live to ripe
age, and albeit they suffer very se-
verely ut times they generally enjoy ex-
cellent general health. the very causes
Of the govt keeping their blood in good
condition and making It uncomfortable to
many kinds Of microbes.
Cases have occurred Of whole house
holds. except one member. being
stricken down with infectious diseases.
and the lucky exception has been q
suffered from iheumatism or gout,
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 nonsuferers
rim. and a large proportion of the PEG
pie who reach agesaof fourscore years
are people who for years have suffered
from gout or rheumatism to which
fact they undoubtedly many Of
the years they have lived over the al
lotted span.
Take half a dozen persons over the
nge Of seventy who suffer from rheu-
matism OF govt and half n. dozen 9TH
ers who suffer from neither and you
will. lind that except for their .rhen-
matism or govt. they enjoy very much
better health than the nonsunerers
and stand q splendid chance of outliv
Ing the latter. Moreover. govt and
Rheumatism greatly enhancefa suffer.
erg chances Of retaining hia mental
faculties until the end. targe! per-
centage OF centenartans who died with,
ali their wits about them and with sgex-s
cellent memories Of the DAYS Of their
youth have suffered for many years
from rheumatism md been particular
~ free from other diseases.
The loss Of n leg or an arm issalso
said to do you good In the long run.
Perhnps that 10 a awkward phrase TO
apply to the loss Of a Ieg. but let 1t
stand. It certainly seems that swhensa
man Ii deprived OF d leg or an arm
the vitality and yigor Of the lost menu
Der remain with him to increase the
vitality Of the remainder.
II has been declared by q u eminent
authority that when a man has q les
cut Oh. he being ln sufficiently goods
health not to collapse from the opera.
ton. adds two or three. sometimes
more. years on to his latter days--s
Pearson's Weekly. .