The evening world., 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
0ut-Drank a Dozen
Cups a Day.
HEART BEATS TOO FAST

Excessive coffee drinking, City
Hospital physicians say, Is the cause
OF little Johnnie Murphy's heart dis
ease. Although only 5 years old
he has one Of the worst cases Of
heart lesion that has I've come to
the institution.
When he entered the hospital the
child's heart was beating 100 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 minute.
For two years the child has been
drinking from nine to twelve cups OF
strong coffee every day, He began to
complain of pains as If needles were
sticking in his heart, and for a year
has slept scarcely three hours a night
and then only when sitting propped
up in a chair beside an open win
dow.
Johnnie did not care for things tc
eat; coffee was all the food he craved.
and except when cake or candy was
given him, he took 10 other nourish-
ment. As he was sick and not eX-
pected to recover, he was given all
the coffee he desired until a physi-
clan saw him and advised that he be
sent to City Hospital.
HEART WAS 0VERW0RKED.
Every beat of the child's heart
could be plainly seen To n in
experienced In medicine, 1t would
seem that the heart extended over
two-thirds Of the chest region, and
the pulsation Is Of a heavy, prolonged
character, quite different from the
sharp, quick beat Of the normal
heart.
The boy is small for his age, and
efforts Of physicians have been to
build up his strength, His treat
ment has been largely tonics and
heart regulating medicines, such as
strophantus or digitalis.
As the heart, like other muscles,
can stand only a given amount of
work, hospital internes estimate that
the 60 beats a minute he Is now be-
ing saved by his abstinence from
coffee will prolong his life 10 or II
years.
The heart OF a mar who dies at 10
years has beaten 260 million times,
and II the normal beat is 70, little
johnnie Murphy vas living twice as
fast as any normal person, When
be first entered the hospital physi-
clans freely prophesied that he could
live only a few weeks. Under the
treatment and total abstinence from
coffee he has so improved that his
chances for a long life are considered
good II the heart lesion and degener-
alton already set up can be healed.
He is a son of John Murphy, OF llG
South Fourteenth street. Mrs, Muir
ply told the physicians that none Of
her other children had shown signs
of heart disease nor had they a mark
ed fondness for cofee,-St. Louis Post
Dispatch.
Literally thousands OF people suf-
fer more or less from heart weakness
caused by coffee, and with some even
one cup a day will bring on hear
trouble,
The heart that has been only
slightly attacked by coffee will pro.
test and make It's weak condition
known under slight exertion, and II
is plainly a dangerous condition ia
get into. 1t is a curious fact that cot
fee does not always attack the heart
but goes after the stomach, liver and
bowels Of some and leaves the heart
alone.
II is plainly classed as an active
toxic, and its work shows some.
where on most users. 1t is easy to
rid ones self OF the habit by using
well -brewed 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 destroyer.
1t is useless to warn some people
even when II is easy to quit and be
well again. So they peg along, sick
and miserable, charging their ails tc
food" least wind" "heredity," and
what not, until some day the stroke
comes when abused nature reaches
the limit. It's easy to be well II one
cares for the Joy Of health. One OF
the plain. sure, well-built and we'll
kept highways, with sign-boards on
each side, is the Postum route.