The Washington herald., 1913-02-23

the gas fumes and to admit the increas-
ed supply OF air necessary for healthy
breathing.
A draught is not in itself hurtful- Con-
sumptives in Senatoria, SO far from be-
ing guarded from draughts, are from the
mode OF life there, constantly exposed
thereto: and In popular pariance, con-
sumption is a form of cold and may be
caused by a draught That this idea
Is erroneous is shown by the above
mentioned treatment, which is the most
successful known for this disease. 1t
is so successful that 90 per cent OF cases
are cured by II. while by the old meth
ods of protecting from draughts, which
cannot be done without robbing OF pure
air, out of 5000 consumptiye persons in
Michigan, between 1894 and 1899, only
forty-five recovered.
Consumption is caused by a microbe
(eerm.) Cold (catarrh) does not occur
when germs are absent. These cannot
grow in extreme cold; hence Nabsen re-
lates that during the whole three years
his thirteen were In the arctic regions
not a single case of catarrh (col6 oc-
CURED. though they were constantly ex-
posed to draughts and chills. to wet
tings inability to dry their clothing, and
deprivation of food, which must have
rendered them very susceptible to cold.
As soon, however. as they reached the
temperate zone every man suffered from
violent cold in the head. No unpreju-
diced mind can fail to conclude from
this that even a cold cannot occur in
the absence OF microbes.
A cold then Is really a contagious
fever; and its treatment should be the
same. 1t Is contracted because constant
bathing of the mucous membrane of the
nose and throat in impure air weakens
their power of resistance to microbe in
fection. Cab drivers rarely contract in
fiuenza, another microsic disease. This
IL because they live in pure air all day
long. Besides some microbes flourish in
dirty air Just as they do in dirty water
or filth of any description. Filth has
been defined as matter in the wrong
place::" and the walls of our rooms. the
furniture, the hansinss and the air are
certainly the wrong place for the impure
matter arising from our lungs and bodies
We are truly unclean unless our houses
are properly ventilated, and unclean air
| Is a more fragrant negation OF the Vfr-
tue nearest to godliness than any other
variety Of uncleanliness. For, sixteen
times In every minute, We must breathe
air which nature has given us pure and
plentiful: while no one need touch. drink
or cat What Is unClcdH- AoseAhChSS hSic
can be measured by hours or even days.
but mortal mans power of holding the
| breath is limited by seconds.
When a disease has been contracted.
the need Of pure air Is even more urgent;
because when in a fever, breathing ID
more rapid. owing to the increased waste
| of the body which accompanies fever.
Accordingly. instead of shutting up pa
tients in tightly sealed houses. they are
placed in large, lofty and freely ven-
| tilated dwellings. The windows are free
" opened night as well as day, and all
draught- preventing hangings are re-
moved from the chamber. The success
Of this method of treatment Is shown
by the reduced mortality In zymotic dis
eases. For example, the great plague
| which killed half the population in the
fifteenth century and was the terror OF
mankind after it first appeared In Eu-
rope, Is now regarded as a comfortable
disease and possesses no terrors even for
those who attend the sick. Forty years
ago, 50 per cent OF the sisters who nurs-
ed consumption in the Charity Hospital
| at Berlin died of that disease: now II Il
1 the rarest possible event for an attend
ant in a properly managed consumptive
sanatorium to become phthisical.
! The number of cases Of consumption
| in town varies in proportion to tht
/ flthiness and overcrowdinR OF the dwell
| ings in different portions OF the city
l This simply means In proportion to tht
1 impurity Of the air the dweiiers In thos<
houses breathe.