Evening journal., 1903-07-11
A TAINTED BREATH
WHAT CAUSES IT AND HOW II
SHOULD BE TREATED.

Ing, Pure Habits ana Cleanliness.
Any one inflicted with bad breath,
instead Of using disinfectant washes or
gargles, should try to discover the |
cause of the bad breath 1t is almost |
ridiculous to keep using disinfectants |
while the cause of the fetor continues
10 operate. Suppose any one were to
notice a bad smell in the back yard.
Instead of finding out exactly what the
cause Of the bad smell is, he would sim
ply throw a disinfectant around, or de-
odorizer, in order to stop or disguise
the smell. Such a procedure would be
silly indeed. No one but a sanitary
officer would do such thing.
A bad breath indicates some decom-
position going on somewhere in the
respiratory tract. 1t may be Il hollow
tooth filled with decomposing material,
or the teeth may be so 5ammed' to-
gether as to inclose portions of the
food, which ferment and fillrthe ahouthe 4
with noxious gases. ." '"9
The trouble may be in the posterior
mares. One or both nOstrils may DO
stopped up. This leaves an unventi-
lated space just back Of the nostril, in
the upper portion of the throat The
want Of ventilation allows the mucus
to accumulate and decompose, which
forms a very fetid gas.
Or, again, the trouble may be caused
by enlarged tonslls. These sometimes
assume a globular form, with deep
crevices and seams which retain mu-
&c 1,A1 fr,I or,H
above an enlarged tonsl. where It is
sure to decompose and cause bad
breath.
Any portion of the respiratory tract
from the throat to the lungs may be
the seat of the difficulty. The mucous
surface is liable to catarrh. and The
catarrh abrades the mucous mem
branes here and there, forming super
fetal ulcers. which furnish a continu-
Gus effiuvla to the breath. Like little
volcanoes, they pour out their erup-
tions of noxious gases day and night to
contaminate the breath.
The stomach has often been accused
Of being the cause. Of bad breath, but
3atha 6getiRIdbe, 1st QHla9b rarely lisitbe
idesHs91 Q5 sldBaA hreath ydHhe beeatnl
does not entor the ,stpIppelby ResPiras
tion-has little OF nothing TO do with
tbs, stomach. .Breath, is simply the lact
Of drawing the air into the lungs and
fnSSpellipg, il again, ~
The fetor of bad breatb,nfrDosi-1
originates IN IA, 5eA,,. o.. - tts, %
the result of a deranged condition OF
the whole system. The blood, being
surcharged with foul gases and decom-
posing material. gives Off these gases
at each respiration. This is why the
breath of a person who drinks liquor
will become tainted with the smell Of
the liquor. At first the breath undoubt-
edly smells of the liquor simply be-
cause in passing through the mouth
and throat some of it adheres to the
mucous surfaces. If any one were to
rinse out the mouth with liquor, the
breath would smell for a short time,
but only for n short time. With the
dram drinker the case is different. The
liquor having passed into his stomach,
It is absorbed into the blood Through
the blood it reaches the lungs, and
with each respiration from the lungs
a portion of the fumes from the liquor
are given of with the breath This IL
lustrates how bad condition Of the
blood can taint the breath.
Undoubtedly onions and many other
aromatic substances find their way out
of the system through the breath. In
this way a bad stomach may faint the
breath. This is why a bad stomach
means bad breath. Bad digestion pro
duces a bad quality of blood The
blood, circulating through the lungs
gives Off bad odors, which find theii
way into the breath. In this round
about way the stomach may cause
bad breath, but as a rule the cause OF
bad breath can be found closer al
hand - either in the teeth, posteriol
mares, tonsils, throat or bronchia
tubes.
Instead of using mouth washes o.
perfumes Of any sort to cure a BAD
breath, a person ought to have thu
cause of the bad breath discovered
Unfortunately it would be Of little o.
no use to such a person to call on thl
average doctor, as he knows nothing
OF cares nothing about such things
He is simply engaged in prescribing
drugs and spends very little time Il
ferreting out causes or removing OBJ
noxious ailments by harmless and ra
tional methods. In these matters ever,
person must use his own common
sense and try to be his own doctor.
No one should be content to allow
bad breath TO continue. 1t is very ur
healthy and is very obnoxious to othe
people. Every man and woman is er
titled to a sweet breath. and with
little care and judgment this can b
had. But so long as any one continue
to take drugs or use narcotics to an
extent he cannot hope TO have a pei
fectly sweet breath. A pure breat
comes from pure living, pure habit
and the continuous practice of absolut
cleanliness. The toothbrush and col
water should be used thoroughly ono
a day. Gargling the throat should in
mediately follow The nostrils shoul
be kept clear; deep breathing pra
ticed. These things alone will do ver
much toward insuring the possessio
of a sweet breath.-Medical Talk.