The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-03-08

| This IS a. second article from the pen of Dr. Paul Burmaster, who is i considered an authority upon such subjects It is written especially for 1 the Home Health Club as special feature.
 DISCHARGING EARS
 There is still a superstition among a few physicians, that a running of I the ear should not be stopped. This 1 erroneous idea dates from the time when Setons, which were open sores, were placed near points of pain sup
 posedly to draw the impurities from the blood. These Setons were often 1 of benefit in relieving pain, although 1 the manner in which they did this
 was misunderstood. They5 acted as counter irritants like mustard p1as- | ters applied to the body, or as a drop | of chIoroform does to a sore tooth. A running ear means that there is
 an abscess inside and an abscese is l due to an infection by germs Only l the foolish and ignorant nowadays be- i 1ieve that an abscess is good thing for anybody, that it draws any inn purities from the body, except those I it creates. Much harm and damage l has been done by this foolish belief l Many people have neglected to get themselves or their chi1dren's ears i treated promptly until the destruction l of tissues and the loss of hearing be- came such that great permanent dam age was done.
 The discharge from the ear is pus, I commonly called matter, and pus con tains millions Of bacteria and these bacteria live on the tissues, hence ev- 1 cry day that proper treatment is neg | lected adds to the damage. Thus pus will eat a little hole through the drum I at first. then it will make it larger I and larger, until finally the entire I drum Is eaten away. But puss or rather bacteria in the pus, do not linn 1 it themselves to the drum, they attack everything in sight looking especially for hooks and corners where they can
 work undisturbed. They will often | burrow upwards and after destroying the thin bone that separates the brain cause death through meningitis.
 After reading so far, one thing must i have become clear, namely, that the I quicker such an abscess is healed, the less damage will result to the person. | Not only will the destruction be less, l but time, and consequently the cost | of treatment, will be less, bearing proof of the old saying that "a stitch 1 in time saves nine.''
 ] There are various germs which cause abscess and discharge from the ear, | and some are more viru1ent than oth- | CTS, resisting also longer to treatment. Assesses of this kind are quite apt l to occur during or after other dis 1 eases, when vitality is lowered. For I 4QEStdAC0g I4Gy come W4t4 44d1Ay S<SSSS l of scarlet fever, dfphtheria, influenza, 1 measles, pneumonia, typhoid fever and 1 do particularly great damage in the l three first named. All diseases of the nose help to bring them on as well as rapid changes in temperature. Cold water entering the ear during diving,
 produces them frequently. Anythine l that lowers the vitality and permits
 the blood to become stagnant opens a
 field for successful propagation of harmful bacteria in the system, hence 1 the value of a good circulation
 Having settled the harmfulness of ear a5Scesses and puS bacteria the 1 only next question remaining is how 1 to get rid of them. Here the structure 1 of the ear with it's many recesses, running into surrounding bone may offer considerable difficulty, which it i takes time to overcome. The more recent the case the less time is usual l Iy required for a cure The treatment should best be carried out under the l supervision of a competent physician. or better still an ear specialist. l Cleansing the ear frequently with
 warm (never eold) water, to which a l little boracie acid has been added will carry away much of the pus. Plenty of room for the water to get out again should be left. If the water is too hot or if it is forced into the ear without 1 leaving sufficient exit, dizziness or l even unconsciousness will follow. If 1 no syringe is handy a fountain syr- l inge to which a medicine dropper is i attached makes a very serviceable 1 substitute Do not use much pres sure Hang the bag about two feet above the patients head and put tip | to and not into the ear. A teaspoonful I of boracic acid (powdered1, to a pint of water is about right. Let the pa- 1 tient lean over a basin. if able, other wise hold a dish under the ear to
 catch the water. A towel around the l neck will catch drippings. Douching 1 the ear in this manner with warm water makes it sensitive to cold and l the patient should not go right out l into the cold air, without covering the l ear or putting little cotton in 1t. i Cotton should be frequently changed, l otherwise an eczema is apt to form In ordinary cases the ear should be cleaneed morning, noon and night, and should be discontinued as soon as the discharge stops, for it is bad prac- l tice to syringe or Ineddle with the ear l when not needed. Blowing in of pow l ders which was done up to recent 1 times, only clogs up the passage, hin- 1 ders the pus from coming out and has no value because it does not reach the 1 seat of the trouble like water and oth- 1 CT fluids.
 | The general health usually needs | looking after in these cases and the 1 system requires building Up. In the i majority of cases the nose requires 1 trea atment, which is not surprising, l since the/ ear is really an extension of i the nose and is lined by the same n1u- 1 cous membrane.