The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-12-24
What is a Cold?

What is a cold and what is the diff
ference between a cold and the several
other diseases that affect the mucous
membrane of the throat and lungs?
The press service of the Florida
Board of Health has indulged fire.
quently in remarks about colds, but
the subject remains uneXhausted, es-
pecially as most of US don't know the
difference between a cold, influenza,
the grippe and bronchitis. In other
words, when you think you have a
cold, it may be something else entire
ly and only the family doctor can set
you right, and, sometimes even he
can't do it.
In the first place, all these afflic-
tions, as well as pneumonia and tu-
berculosis, are caused by infection
with bacilli or germs, and each dis
ease has its own particular variety of
germs. You can't plant corn and ex-
pect crop of beans. The same here.
These germs are transferred from one
human to another by contact only.
They are not carried in the air, ex-
cepting to the extent that the victim
of any of these diseases in talking, or
coughing or sneezing expels them in
an invisible spray into the air, and
another person near enough, say with
in two or three feet, may become in
fected with the particular disease car
ried by the germs in this mouth spray
We may wrap ourselves in the
warmest clothing, we may avoid all
possibility of chilling air drafts
will not prevent our Catching" cold
or bronchitis or grippe, because drafts
of air bring none of these diseases
they come only by and through their
own particular germs.
Not one of these diseases comes or
develops from any other of them.
The weakening effect of any of them
may lower the resisting power of the
individual to disease and thus prepare
the way for any other of these or for
any disease affecting any other part
of the body. But cold never devel-
ops into pneumonia or tuberculosis,
nor into anything but just cold.
"The Grippe" is a term often used
to cover a variety of affections but
it is just influenza. 1t is called
grippe" when the victim feels unu-
sually sorry for himself and when he
is inclined to believe that all his
friends have deserted him. Once
somewhere an epidemic of the disease
took the popularity of gripping in the
throat. The name remained, but it
wasn't a new disease.
Then there is hay fever, which ar
rives on schedule time each year and
is anticipated by the usual victim with
as much joy as he might look for
ward to breaking his leg, or perhaps
his neck. No one takes this disease
very seriously excepting the victim
The doctors say it is an irritation
caused by the pollen of certain plants
which. floating in the air and breathed
into the throat make all the trouble
They insist that it is not a germ dis.
ease. The usual sure cure is to &c
somewhere-to seek change of eli.
mate or altitude.
A peculiar individual susceptibility
is the only explanation of the fact
that certain persons have the disease
and that all do not under the same
conditions and surroundings.
Colds and the rest of these trouble
are communicable and the contagio,
is spread by contact, rs has been des
cribed. And this brings up the ques
tion of individual responsibility i,