Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-04-07

When there are bad fever bliStera
and the symptoms point to a cold on
the chest the infection is almost GER
tain to be due to pneumococcus. and
the chances are strong that infiamma-
ton of the lung has resulted or will
result.
h treatment OF pneumonia is not
satisfying to the physicians. The death
rate from the disease in the best hos
pltals Is just as high as In the poor
ones or in the homes. The best doc
tors have no more success in treating
pneumonia than have the poor ones.
The doctors of the present day do not
have any better success in treating
pneumonia than did those of 50 years
ago.
F, In a word. there is no medicinal
treatment of pneumonia. Good nurs-
ing. good counsel and good direction by
medical men are worth while. but med
Gin out of a bottle is not.
To any observing scientist it is evident
ttlat a cure for pneumonia along the
iilie Of an a~ntitoXin. serum or vaccine
is to come. but 1t is not yet i'm evidence.
IT Il man sick with pneumonia finds his
doctor disposed to drug him he should
demonstrate, and if. that fails to stop
the flow of medicine he had better get
another doctor.
, The patient should be in 4 we'll Ven
tilated room. The extra furnishings
should be removed from the room and
the should be opened Pneu-
nonia patients do much better in clean,
cold. s,nny. airy rooms.
The next necessity is that there
should be good nursing. The essential
of good nursing is tina the patient must
be kept quiet and not be fused over
undulS. h strength must be CON
served. and this means that fixing the
bed, bathing n changing the clothes
can be over done.
On the medical side the chance OF
OVERRIDING is great. The sputum is
tough. the cough is hard. and the ten
dency to give cough medicines is al
most irresistible.
The rule is that cough medicines are
hard on the stomach. Most of them
contain either squills, ipecac or tartar
emetic, remedies used i'm certain cases
to produce vomiting. Many of them
contain carbonate of ammonia or some
other strong alkali.
The theory is that the tough mucus
in the bronchial tubes must be made
less sticky and that salts of ammonia
will accomplish this.
There is no evidence that any dose
of ammonia which the patient can
stand will loosen the phlegm. If alkalis
are ever OF any service it is because
they affect the cocci or their toxins.
When we remember how hard on the
tomac are cough medicines, there is
no doubt but that averaging the cases
they have done more harm than good
in pneumonia.
Another great tendency to overdo is
in the use OF stimulants. Some pa
tents are piled with whisky almost
from the very first day OF the disease.
by the time the fight for life Is becom-
ing terrific the cells of the body have
been soaked for days in alcohol, or in
those chemicals which result when al
cohol is being drunk. Sometimes the
overstimulation is in the. use of other
stimulants. such as digitalis n
strychnine.
Something may be gained by the use
of some form of stimulation during the
"a hours just preceding the crisis and
for n short while thereafter, but there
is loss rather than gain from the use OF
stimulants in the beginning of the dis
ease.
Another tendency to overdo is in the
use of oxygen inhalations. The theory
on which this method of treatment was
begun was that in pneumonia the air
sacs were SO filled with coagulated
blood that oxygen enough could not be
absorbed. 1t was reasoned that as the
! air is only one-fiftll oxygen by using
! pure oxygen the air sacs would only
need to breathe in one-fifth as much
| gas as when they were furnished air.
We know that the theory is wrong
in it's every part. The lungs In pneu
monia are not SO filled but that the
intact air sacs could easily abstract
enough oxygen from the air. 1t is not
the percentage OF oxygen in a gas
| which determines h amount which
will be absorbed from the lungs. Final
ly. air is the mixture of gases which
is proper for the lungs.
Inhalation Of pure oxygen or air over
rich in oxygen is harmful and may be
! very harmful. 1t is public sentiment
which forces the use of oxygen, 1 am
sure.
A given ease is in an extreme state.
The family wants everything possible
done. 1t has heard Of the use of oxy-
gen. The physician feels that there is
: little hope. He rather weakly yields
| to custom.
Some day We shall have Il specific.
When that day comes a dose or a few
doses and the disease will III by crisis
as diphtheria now does.
Until that day comes the patient is
| best off who takes least medicine. The
lucky ones begin with a few doses to
| clean up the bowels. a few doses to take
the edge from the agitation. uneasiness,
restlessness. and discomforts Of the on
set. and after that good. cold air. good
nursing. and very little medicine con-
stitute h proper policy. b
Is there anything to be done to pre-
vent pneumonia? There is. First Of all.
pneumonia time is not a safe time to
indulge in drink. The man who gets
drunk at this season Of the yea takes
his life In his hands. Osler tells us that
1t should be the invariable rule careful
ly to examine the lungs OF every man
suffering from delirium tremens. Near
~ every person who dies from delirium
tremers at this season of h year real
~ dies from undiscovered pneumonia.
Second in Importance IL to avoid close
contact with people, especially In hot,
close places. Out of doors III pneu-
mococcus speedily perishes. Indoors 1t
meets with conditions to its liking.
When to the ordinary dangers nj In.