The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-10-19
SMALL BOY HAS
COFFEE HEART
Child of Eight Is in City Hos
pital Slowly Regaining
Health.
HEART BEATS TOO FAST
Muscle Was Wearing Itself
Out-Drank a Dozen
Cups a Day.
HEART BEATS TOO FAST

Excessive coffee drinking, City Hos
pital physicians say, is the cause Of
little Johnnie Murphs's heart disease.
Although only years old, he has one
of the worst cases af heart lesion that
has ever come TO the institution.
When he entered the hospital the!
ehiid's heart was beating $50 to the
minute, just twice the normal rate for
a child of his age. For one month he
has had no coffee and his heart action
has been reduced to 100 beats a min
ute.
For two years the child has been
drinking from nine to twelve cups Of
strong coffee every day. He began 70
complain of pains as if needles were
sticking in his heart. and for year
has slept scarcely three hours a night
and then only when sitting propped up
in a chair beside an open window
Johnnie did not care for things to
eat; coffee was all the food he erayed.
and except when cake or candy was
given him, he took no other nourish-
nlent. AS he was sick and not expect
ed to recover. he was given all the
coffee he desired until a physician saw
him and advised that he be sent to
City Hospital.
HEART WAS OVERWORKED.
Every beat of the child's heart could
be plainly seen. To one inexperienced
in medicine it would seem that the
heart extended over two-thirds of the
chest region, and the pulsatiOn is of a
heavy. prolonged character, quite diff
ferent from the sharp, quick beat Of
The boy is small for his age. and ef-
forts of physicians have been to build
up his strength. His treatment has
been largely tonics and heart regulat-
ing medicines. such as strophantus or
As the heart like otheE muscles. can
stand only a given amount of work
hospital internes estimate that the SO
beats a minute he is now being saved
by his abstinence from coffee VIII
prolong his life 10 or u years.
The heart of a. man who dies at 20
years has beaten $50 million times,
and if the normal beat is Y. little
Johnny Murphy was living twice as
fast as any normal person. When he
first entered the hospital. physicians
freely prophesied that he could live
only a few weeks. Under the treat
nnent and total abstinence from coffee
he has so improved that his chances
for a long life are considered good if
the heart lesion and degeneration al
ready set up can be healed.
He is a son of John Murphy of lie
south Fourteenth street Mrs. Murphy
told the physicians that none of her
other children had showed signs of
heart disease nor had they a marked
fondness for coffee.-St. Louis Post
DISPATCH.
Literally thousands of people suffer
more or less from heart weakness
caused by coffee, and with some, even
one cup a day will bring on heart
trouble.
The heart that has been only slight
u attacked by coffee viii protest and
make its weak condition known under
slight exertion. and it is plainly dan
gerous condition to get into It is a
curious fact that coffee does not al
ways attack the heart but goes after
the stomach. liver and bowels of some
and leaves the heart alone.
It Is plainly classed as an active
toxic and its work shows somewhere
on most users. It is easy to rid ones
self of the habit by using weil-brew-
ed Postum Coffee. The change in
| symptoms is shown in a day or two
as a rule. and that change shows the
user to a certainty that coffee was the
II Is useless to warn some people,
even when 1t is easy to quit and be
we'll again. So they peg along. sick
and miserable, charging their ais to
food east wind" theredity. and
whatuot. until some day the stroke
comes when abused nature reaches the
/ limit. It's easy TO be Wen if one cares
| for the JOY of health One Of the
plain. sure we'll built. and weil-kept
/ highways, with sign boards on each
side, is the Postum route
There's q reason.