Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-08-27
d0OD ,FKOM DISEASE
SEVERAL AFFECTIONS THAT HAVE
THEIR CONVERSATIONS.


An Attack of Smallpox, If You Get
over IL, WIN Add Years TO Your
Life - Sufferers From rheumatism
and Gout Are Long Lived.
Have you had smallpox If you
1ave and you have recovered from lhe
terrible disease without your eyesight
Or hearing being seriously affected, as
is very often the case, you may con-
graduate yourself that smallpox at
tackled you, for you will probably, bar
ring accidents live considerably longer
and enjoy better general health than If
you had never had the disease.
1t is a remarkable fact-one of ma
lures peculiar compensations - that
people who have suffered from small
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 is that the
microbes which go to make smallpox,
being very power al and pugnacious,
swallow up the m crobes 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 or
other and, likely enough, prove fatal.
At the same time &c must be admit
ted that smallpox is not scheduled as
preventive medicine, and the number
of persons 1t either kills, mains or in
ficts with mental incapacities is prob
ably greater than the number OF per-
sons whose lives it prolongs.
At the same time it is 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 capable
Of throwing it off without suffering
after effects of a more serious charac-
ter than being pitted with the queer
little marks it almost Invariably leaves
behind to distinguish It's victims.
Numbers of elderly persons in more or
less feeble health are kept alive by
coughs, such, for instance, as bronchi-
tbs. Chronic coughs are peculiarly COM
mon to old people, and hundreds who
complain of the distress caused them
| w SUCH dlltGbiOnS art lEulig lhhtblES
to their coughs for their length of life.
The reason of this is that most elderly
persons suffer with weak hearts and
feeble eirculs ton of the blood, and
weak hearts become weaker merely as
a result of their weakness. \ constant
cough corrects this keeps the heart
beating more strongly than 1t other
wise would and the strong heart beat
keeps the blood circulating more quick
ly, and the vital organs are thus kept
In state of activity which could only
be 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
ly painful diseases and of course in
some cases prove fatal. but they confer
may a blessing upon mankind, and
rheumatism particularly is well known
to doctors as a preventive of many 9th.
err diseases It is a notorious fact that
equity subjects generally live to ripe
aye. and albeit they suffer very Sc
veleIy at 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.
Gases have occurred of whole house
holds, except one member, being
stricken down with infectious diseases,
and the lucky exception has been a
suffered from rheumatism or govt
which alone has prevented him from
contracting the disea aes which have
run through the house Such sufferers
do not run half the risk of catching
the common illnesses that nonsufferers
run, and large proportion Of the peo-
pie who reach ages of 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 al
lotted span.
Take half dozen persons over the
age oS seventy who suffer from rheu-
matism or govt and half dozen 9th
ers who suffer from neither and you
viii find that, except for their rheu-
matism or govt, they enjoy very much
better health than the nonsufferers
and stand a splendid chance of outliv-
ing the latter. Moreover. govt and
rheumatism greatly enhance suffer
er's chances of retaining his mental
faculties until the end A large per-
centage Of centenarians who died with
all their wits about them and with ex-
cellent memories OF the days of their
youth have suffered for many years
from rheumatism and been particular
ly 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 Leg, but let it
stand 1t certainly seems that when
man is deprived of leg or an arm
the vitality and vigor Of the lost men,
Der remain with him to increase the
vitality OF the remainder.
It has been declared by an eminent
authority that when a man has leg
cut Off, he being in sufficiently good
health not to collapse from the opera