El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-11-05

SCIENCE SEEMS TO BE FINDING CURE FOE
THE MALADY
Making "Vaccines" For the Purpose Breeding the
Catarrh Germ in the Laboratory Persistent Colds
Often Due to Heart Disease-The Groundless
Dread of Drafts.

| q CIENCE has gone exploring in a
new direction. 1t has been seek
-" ing recently to find out something
definite about those troublesome afflie-
lions commonly known as colds" and
what causes them. Already it has sue
ceeded in identifying, and breeding arti-
ficially, one of the worst species OF germs
concerned in this kind of mischief
The germ in question is called the
AficrocOccus catarrhalis, or little round
bacteria of eatarrh,'' its shape being
spherical Quite commonly it is found
in ''pure culture" in the nasal passages
of persons suffering from colds-which
! means that it has bred at such rate IN
| the nasal tract as practically to shut out
all other species of germs.
Causes of Colds.
But several facts of much greater I'M
portance have been discovered, in regard
to the nature and the causes of colds
for example, that troubles of this kind,
when very persistent, are often due TO
disease of the heart. So frequently is
this the case, indeed, that nowadays a
nose specialist, if he knows his business,
will carefully examine the heart Of any
patient who suffers from constant colds
in the head.
At the bottom of all the new knowl-
edge on this suD'ect, however. lies the
fact, only. recently understood, that a
cold is an acute infection. In other
words. It is caused by germs of one kind
or another, which attack the mucous
lining of nose and throat, multiply IN
vast numbers. and, while feeding on the
tissues, excrete a poison. This poison,
which is otherwise called a toxin, is
a powerful irritant, and causes the DIS
tressing SYMPTOMS
Irritation Causes Tvuhoid.
When a person is sick with typhoid
fever. the symptoms of that malady are
caused, not by the typhoid bacilli but by
chemic substances of a violently irri-
.tating character which they excrete. So
powerful are the toxins of colds that
people often are made severely i'll by
such attacks the poison in such in
stances being developed in large guam
titles. producing severe infection. Even
a mild cold is liable to make one feel
sick all over.
This discovery throws flood of light
upon the whole subject of colds. The
germs that cause such troubles are al
WAYS plentiful in the air. floating about.
We are constantly taking them into our
lungs and breathing passages. But, when
we are in condition of first rate health,
we are comparatively immune to them;
in other words. we can resist their at
tacks. 1t is when our general health is
below par that we are most liable to
contract colds. Once they gain a foot
hold, the germs multiply with enormous
rapidity, and we suffer.
The fouler the air, the more germs of
cold it contains. Thus people who live
and work in badly ventilated rooms suf-
fer constantly from colds. Fresh air and
plenty of it is the best preventive of
such troubles Unfortunately, most
people have a notion that colds are
caused by fresh air, any free current of
which they carefully exclude on this ac-
count, calling it a dangerous draft"
Decisions of Draft.
The draft" delusion has done an i'm
mense amount of harm in this world.
Why should it be imagined that a cur
rent of fresh air playing over the body
can do any harm? Nobody Is afraid of
breeze out of doors. OF course, per-
son who is very warm and perspiring
may become chilled by sitting for a
while in a cold draft, the result being a
lowering of the body temperature, which
signifies a temporary weakening of the
power to resist the germs always lying
in wait to attack. Colds are thus caused
sometimes. undoubtedly.
Ordinarily, however, draft is most
excellent thing. The term does not i'm
ply cold blast. and exposing the body
thereto when it is over heated. The new
medical gospel breaches the necessity of
plenty of fresh air for health When
people live out of doors, as in camps,
they have no colds. 1t is only when they
shut themselves up in houses, and in
other places where germs breed and &C.
cumulate, that they suffer from afflic-
tions of the kind.
The Universal Disease.
Nasal catarrh has been called the uni
versal disease" All of us suffer from it
more or less, and constantly-which is
the reason why we find handkerchief
so indispensable necessary But this
disagreeable malady is due to artificial
methods of living, and particularly tcs the
habit of dwelling indoors, where gel us