Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-23
PUZZLE To PHYSICIAN
Pneumonia One of the Hardest
Diseases to Combat.
KNOWN TO ANCIENT GREEKS
Scientific Investigation Undertaken in
1919.
HOW TO GUARD AGAINST IT
Next to Tuberculosis of the Lungs It
is the Most Deadly Malady
in America.
HOW TO GUARD AGAINST IT


Copyright. 1907. by Ellery Sedgwick)
Next to tuberculosis Of the lungs pneu-
monia, another lung malady, is the most
deadly disease now prevalent in the United
States During the year 1904. when the
last federal mortality statistics were gath
cred, 1t killed $4,000 Americans and sowed
the seeds of consumption in probably H.
600 more. Since then the death rate has
decreased little, If at all. There are no
tried and tested remedies for pneumonia Inc
patient, it would seem, gets well through
natures efforts or he never gets well at all.
Inasmuch as just about 70 per cent of
those who have pneumonia recover, it may
be seen from the foregoing figures that
there are about 10000 cases Of the disease
in the United States each year. Those
who get we'll are ever thereafter disposed
to have further attacks. man who has
had smallpox or yellow fever once never
takes the disease again, for the reason that
both of these maladies leave immunity
against themselves behind them. But
pneumonia, instead of leaving its victim i'm
mune, makes him even more liable than he
was in the first place. Thus it happens
that persons who have had pneumonia
early in life often contract 1t again later
on.
The ancient Greeks were familiar with
pneumonia, and old Hippocrates described
it very accurately. He even differentiated
between pneumonia and the early stages
of consumption-a thing which modern doc
tors sometimes fail to do. Aretoeus, an
other physician of antiquity, wrote a very
excellent treatise pneumonia, but 1t was
not until 1919 that there was any truly
scientific investigation of the disease. To-
day we know great deal about it and have
learned how to prevent 1t, but so far no
very efficient means of aiding nature TO
cure it have been devised, although ex-
nfll
promising results.
A Malignant Inflammation.
Pneumonia, to put it briefly, is malig
nant inflammation of the lungs due to the
presence of minute organisms or germs.
These germs corrode and blockade the air
passages through the lungs and cut off a
large portion of the patients customary
supply Of air. In addition, they weaken
his heart by putting on it the extra hard
work of pumping blood through narrowed
and clogged channels. Finally, they Sc
crete poisons which are spread through the
blood to all parts of the body and disable
many Of the vital organs. 1t is seldom that
a pneumonia patient dies OF suffocation.
Far more often his heart gives out or the
germ poisons kill him by invading his
brain.
Ordinarily the blood of a healthy man
is vigorous enough to tackle and kill these
germs as soon as they get into the lungs,
Dut WHcn d man power VI leSiStdICc is
lowered. for any one of a hundred rea-
sons. the blood does Its work badly and
the germs get a foothold. Then follows
an attack of pneumonia, which Is merely
battle between blood and germs on
large scale If the blood wins the patient
gets well. If the germs win he dies. Three
times out Of four the victory goes to the
blood
mans power of resistance may be
lowered by a sudden chill, such as that
following an unexpected plunge into icy
water in midwinter Again 1t may be
lowered by the gradual chill following the
wearing of wet shoes. Yet again it may
be decreased by lack Of sleep. by overwork,
by too violent exercise, by overeating, and
particularly by indulgence in alcohol. The
man who drinks is always more shining
mark for pneumonia than the total alb
stainer. Common experience indicates this,
and scientific experiment confirms 1t.
Has Many Forms.
There are many forms of pneumonia, and
it may be caused by any one Of a dozen diff
ferent germs, but the most common type
is that caused by little organism called
Fraenkers pneumococcus, after the Ger
man savant who discovered 1t. The pneu-
mococcus under the microscope appears as
a tiny dark speck surrounded by trans
parent capsule. 1t Is a germ Of the very
lowest order, and despite the fact that it
seems to be alive and manages to get
about, it is plant and not an animal
When this minute organism invades the
lungs 1t takes up its home in the walls of
the air cells and causes them to grow con-
gested and red. After that 1t begins to fill
the cells themselves with a sticky ibrinous
fluid in which there are a lot of blood
corpuscles. During the third stage this
fluid grows thinner and part Of 1t is alb
sorbed by the lung tissues and carried
away. The rest is expelled by expectora
ton and the patient Is convalescent
All of this may take place in one lung
or in both. The less widespread the infec-
tion Of course, the greater the patients
chances Of recovery. When both lungs
called double pneumonia.
The principal types Of the disease are as
follows:
/. The common, lobar pneumonia. This
IL the type which ordinarily attacks the
previously healthy subject.
e Terminal pneumonia. This Is q type
of the disease which often appears in the
last stages of gout diabetes, Brights dis
case, ETC., when the whole bodily organism
Is much debilitated and the lungs are open
to the invasion of all sorts Of germs In
Bright's disease the actual and immediate
cause of death is usually pneumonia.
3. Secondary pneumonia. This type fire.
ouently follows the administration of ether,
and is also common sequel OF typhoid
fever, rheumatism and influenza.
4. There is also type OF pneumonia
which follows physical injuries to the air
passages. These injuries become seats OF
Infection Smuch a scratch on the hand,
when 1t testers, becomes seat of infec-
ton for the microbes which throng upon
the skin and in the air.
5. Finally there are types of pneumonia
due to germs other than the pneumococcus.
Now and then the typhoid bacillus, the
diphtheria germ the minute microbe Of
some other disease invades the lung tissues
and sets up true pneumonia, though it is
different in character, of course, from Or
binary pneumonia.
A Cold Weather Disease.
Pneumonia is commonly associated with
cold weather, and in point of fact 1t is usu-
ally most prevalent in winter, but 1t is
disease of all seasons and all climates.
Wherever there civilized human beings
you will find pneumonia. 1t Is at its worst,
in the latitude of the United States in jan
uary, and is least met with in July and Au-
gust. But sudden chill in midsummer Is
just apt to end in pneumonia as sudden
chill at Christmas.
At the start the symptoms of the disease
are much like those of a severe cold or of
Influenza. The patient has sharp chill
which is commonly followed by high fe-
yer. Then come sharp pains in the chest
a dry cough, with blood-stained sputum,
and shortness of breath.
Pneumonia is a self-iimited disease and
nothing can be done to make an attack
cbnrtar Tho -patfepf shOu1d he plaped in a