Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-05-11
A TAINTED BREATH.
WHAT CAUSES IT AND HOW IT
SHOULD BE TREATED.

The Trouble Is the Result Of De-
composition Along the Respiratory
Tract. and the Remedy In Pure Liv-
ing. Pure Habits and 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
to operate. Suppose any n 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 n but a sanitary
officer would do such a thing.
A bad breath indicates some decom-
position going OF somewhere in the
respiratory tract. 1t may be a hollow
tooth filled with decomposing material.
or the teeth may be SO jammed to-
gether as to inclOse portions Of the
food, which ferment and fill the mouth
with nOxiOus gases.
The trouble may be in the posterior
mares. One or both nOstrils may be
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 tonsils. These sometimes
assume a globular form. with deep
crevices and seams which retain mu-
Gus. Again. mucus collects behind and
above an enlarged tonsil. where 1t 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 men,
branes here and there. forming super
fetal ulcers. which furnish a continu-
II etfiuvia to the breath. Like little
volcanoes. they pour out their u
tons of noxious gases day and night to
contaminate the breath.
The stomach has often been accused
OF being the cause Of bad breath. but
the fact is the stomach rarely Is the
cause Of a bad breath. The breath
does not enter the stomach. Respira
ton has little or nothing to do with
the stomach. Breath is simply the act
Of drawing the air into the lungs and
expelling it again.
The fetOr Of bad breath sometimes
originates in the lungs and is no doubt
the result of a deranged condition Of
the whole system. The blood, being
surcharged with foul gases and decom-
posing material. gives of 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-
eddy smells of the liquor simply be-
cause In passing through the mouth
and throat some Of it adheres to the
mucous surfaces. II any one were to
rinse out the mouth with liquor. the
breath would smell for a short time,
but only Tor a short time. With the
dram drinker the ~ is different. The
liquor having passed into his stomach.
It is absorbed into the blood. Through
the blood 1t reaches the lungs. and
with each respiration from the lungs
n portion Of the fumes from the liquor
are given of with the breath. This II
illustrates how a bad condition Of thu
blood can faint the breath.
Undoubtedly onions and many othe
aromatic substances find their way on
Of the system through the breath. II