The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1917-02-23

in1ectlon OF the lining membranes OF
the nose, tonsils, throat and larger
bronchial tubes. The process may be
even more extensive and amount to a
general Infection of the entire body.
All OF the breathing apparatus ex-
ceptlng the smaller terminal por-
tons in the lungs may be involved,
and as a matter of fact the disease
may, and often does, spread to these,
thus producing pneumonia. In this
connection it may be pointed out that
pneumonia kills more people in the
United States than any other disease
excepting tuberculosis and heart dis
ease. Many cases of pneumonia begin
as a common cold. Colds do not pro-
duce tuberculosis, yet unfortunately
what is considered as a cold maye be
in reality the first symptoms of the
white plague.
The causes of colds are multiform
and not entirely understood. In every
case, however, they are dependent
upon the growth and activity of liv-
ing germs which are always received
from other people. It is true, that
almost everybody harbors disease or
ganisms in the mouth and nose, and
that these under favorable conditions
will produce a cold in their host. But
these germs in every case were re-
ceived from some other person. In
other words, colds are infectious. 1t
used to be thought that sitting in a
draft or a prolonged stay in the SWIM
ming pool would produce a cold. This
is erroneous, but the chilling Of the
body which the draft produces and the
weakening of the vital forces caused
by too long a swim, lower the powers
Of resistance and permit germs which
have hitherto been harmless to their
host, to produce their disastrous ef-
fects.
1t is not necessary to describe a
cold. Everybody is familiar with it
in all its variations, from the simple
ordinary coryza, which is a polite
running at the nose, to the sore
throat, the aching chest, fever, and
generally knocked out" feeling. The
cough, the sneeze, the headache, and
the varying degrees of ineficiency
which a cold produces are ,alas, only
too we'll known. Common colds occur
in epidemics and are distinctly con-
tagious. They sweep through an en-
tire household, an entire city, an en-
tire state, attacking the young, the
adolescent, the middle aged, and fire.
quently carrying off the aged, the
weak and the debilitated. Schools,
factories, stores are suddenly crippled
by epidemics of this sort and the COM
plications and serious disorders fol-
lowing the disease add to the great
economic loss produced in this way.
Infection Of the cavaties beneath the
cheeks and brows, ear arrangements,
chronic lung infections, rheumatism,
heart disorders, kidney impairment
and depressed vitality may all follow
III CHe Train VI IHlS "lueoPl eau AlAoS-
ton.
To prevent a cold it is necessary
first of all to keep the body resistance
at a high point of efficiency. This
means that the body machinery
should be kept in good order at all
times. Good wholesome food in
proper amount, plenty of sleep, the
careful attention to the voiding of
the body wastes, the taking of regular
exercise in the open air, keeping the
body clean, keeping the mouth and
nose clean, the avoidance Of hot,
stuffy, dusty rooms, the avoidance of
exposure to sudden changes of tenn
perature, the prevention of the chill
ing of the body either by cold or wet.
are all protective measures 1t
should be borne in mind, however,
that even robust persons may con-
tract colds from people who have
them.
The germs of colds leave the body
in the secretions u the mouth ano
nose. They enter the body through
the same route. Thus a careless
sneezer and the person who does not
cover his mouth and nose wher
he coughs are breeders of these in
. fections. The little living bodies
which cause colds are so small hat
million could rest on the head OF
!. pin. When a person coughs o
@sneezes a fine spray carrying with i
|, untold numbers of these germs i
spread into the surrounding atmo
sphere to a distance of several fee
and may be easily taken into tn
mouth and nose with the resplred all
d More direct contact such as by kiss
ing, the common drinking cup, tn
common roller towel, by pipes, toy
pencils, fingers, food, and othe
things which have been contamlnate
by the mouth and lose secretlons OF
y person having a cold may also carr
the disease.
al 1t is an obligation on the part {
persons having colds to see to it tn;
they do not spread these colds
VI ~N,~O IyhN rn(