Evening journal., 1902-01-06
GOOD FROM DISEASE
SEVERAL AFFECTIONS THAT HAVE
THEIR CONVERSATIONS.

you had smallpox? II you
have and you have recovered from the
terrible disease without your eyesleht
or nearing being seriously affected. as
IS very often the case, you may con.
gratulate yourself that smallpox at.
tackled you. for you will probably. bar.
ring accidents, live considerably longer
and enjoy better general health than ie
you had never had the disease.
1t is n remarkable faet-one Of na-
lures peculiar compensatlons - that
people who have suffered from small
+, pox generally live longer than people
who have not Why this should be fhe
case there is only an improved theory
to explain, and the theory is that the
microbes which go 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
Woutu seize upon you at some time or
other ana. likely enough, prove fatal.
AT the same time it must be admit
ted that smallpox is not scheduled as a
preventive medicine, and the number
OF persons tit either kills, mains or in
ilcts with mental incapacities is prob
ably greater than the number Of per.
sons whose lives it prolongs.
AT the(same time it is a fact that the
dlseas,i, though one of the most terri.
Die tinown 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 its 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
| 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 circulation Of the blood, and
weak hearts become weaker merely as
I - @NNtAN "a AAlNAA MNAhuNcos - tUurAUuL
| 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
ly, and the vital organs are thus kept
in state Of activity which could only
be maintained by artificial means and
for 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
many a blessing upon mankind, and
rheumatism particularly is well known
to doctors as a preventive Of many 9TH
er diseases. 1t is notorious fact that
equity subjects generally live to a ripe
age, and albeit they suffer very Sc
verely at times they generally enjoy ex:
cellent general health, the Sery causes
of the gout keeping their blood in good
condition and making it unendurabfe 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
suffered from rheumatism 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 nousuferers
run, and n large proportion. OF the peo-
pie who reach ages of fourscore years
are people who for years have suffered
from gout or rheumatism. to which
fact they undoubtedly owe many of
the years they have lived over the. al
lotted span
Take half q dozen persons over the
age Of seventy who suffer from rheu-
matism or gout and half dozen 9th
ers who suffer from neither and you
will find that. except for their rheu-
matism or gout, they enjoy very much
better health than the nonsufferers
and stand a splendid chance Of outliv-
llH tic MlltL. MoliONtlt EOhA anu
rheumatism greatly enhance a 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 a 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
man is deprived of n leg or an arm
the vitality and vigor of the lost men,
Der remain with him to increase the
vitality of tSe remainder.
1t has been declared by an eminent
authority that when man has leg
cut off. he being in sufficiently good