Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-09-21
NduSCS
An Important Article Upon a Very
Prevalent and Painful Disease byOne
of the Greatest Physicians of England
BV Sir James Barr, NJ. D.

tackled last and absorption Of the lime salts
with raTefactiOn takes place; these parts OF
the bones are selected as they are easily dam
aged from use and become more vascular. The
deposition Of lime salts readily takes place in
parts which are not functionating, and II you
wish to causel absorption you must that
the function gof the part IS restoration
ample, If you wish to deCalcify rigid costa car
tilages. you must not merely use decalcifying
remedies but you must also make the patient
take respiratory exercises
I frequently use decalcifying agents but
am always quite alive TO the danger OF produc-
ing rheumatoid arthritis. and so such an I'M
toward event has never occurred in my hands
Perhaps some of my followers viii accomplish
this, but It will not be without warning II
people were more careful IN their diet they
would not require so much Dhysic
Women are much more liable to this disease
than men, There is nothing IN the constitu.
ton Of a woman which should make her spe.
cially susceptible to this disease, but the very
same conditions which make her less liable
to arterioscerosis render her more prone than
men to rheumatoid arthritis In the poorer
classes. where this disease abounds. she is
badly nourished, lives on tea bread and but.
ter and various carbohydrates which readily
undergo acid fermentation in the stomach.
there is poor supply of milk and other pro.
tens. She gets very little line and other al.
kalies while she is liable to exhausting dis.
charges, such as menorrhagia, leucorrhoea, ex-
CehslVe laCtatlOn ana mucous COlttiS, which rob
the system OF its lime.
The thyroid gland is more active in women
than in men. and this leads TO active calcium
metabolism II is essentially a disease OF de.
billy, and nutrition is readily affected by
worry anxiety overwork, frequent childbear-
ing loss OF blood, etc
Among the associated conditions which to
some extent stand in n casual relation must
be specially mentioned an almost invariably
diated stomach with deficient motor action
and obstinate constipation with occasional
diarrhoea For the maintenance OF the motor
function OF the stomach and bowels a certain
amount OF calcium and potassium salts are
necessary, while In these cases the supply OF
both Is deficient. This leads to stagnation
with acid fermentation. and the production es-
pecially OF Tactic and butyric acids; this tends
TO increase the excretion OF lime rather than
its absorption. The late Dr. O. T williams
showed how the insoube lime soaps damage
the mucous membrane. setting up mucous CO.
litis: but In this case they have the further
deleteriOus effect OF robbng the syRtem OF lime.
The amount Of lime taken up from the in.
testinal tract when administered In the form
OF food or medicine is very variable In many
cases only a small fraction OF that administered
reaches the blood, while many individuals alb
sorb II freely and eXcrete It as rapidly. Apart
from individual peculIarities this to a large
extent depends on the form in which Il Is
presented for absorption; the tribaslc phos
plate Is very fixed salt and almost entirely
lhHpihblt, yet l nave htdTO a professor OF
therapeutics assert that this salt cures the
toothache OF pregnancy. Such chIldllke sim
plicity and therapeutic faith deserve place in
the Kingdom of Heaven II there be no retribu
ton for culpable ignorance
The suphate is rather insoluble, but It Is
readily decomposed in the intestinal tract and
so presented to the mucous membrane in more
asslmilable forms the same can be said for
the carbonate The chloride, the lactate the
glycerophosphate. and the iodide of calcium
are all easily assimilable forms: the iodde Is
an especially active salt. but from its stimu-
lating effect on the thyroid gland It is not al
ways advisable in this disease. The oxalate
OF lime Is very insOluble though It may be
decomposed In small amount by the hydro
chloric acid of the stomach: the citrate Of lime
is fairly soluble, but the ctric acid hastens
elimination Where sodium citrate is added
to cows milk it splits of the fixed lime from
the oasein, and thus lessons the density of the
curd. When the stearin and pamitin of beef
and mutton fats are decomposed by the lIpase
In the tntestnes, their saturated fatty acids
r"rdjv form insOluble lime soaps: but on the
other hand the oleate OF calcium is easily as
simulated
Lime exists in two states in the bIood-frst
as a fixed illuminate Of calcium. and, second
ms free iontgable calcium: the amount in both
states varies considerably but especially IN