Omaha daily bee., 1919-03-23
Home Health Hints
Reliable advice given In this
column on prevention and
cure of disease. Put your ques-
ton in plain language. Your
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Focal Infections.


ing to physician these last few
years to be advised to have the ton
silS or teeth remo> ed for disorder
which the patient never remotely as
ISOLATED with those struotu The
complaint may he rheumatism, ap-
pendicitis, heart disease, or a ner-
vous disease, the advice and cure
may rest on the remova, of these or
similar offending organs. Along with
advice to have something like the
above removed, the physician makes
mention of focal infection as the root
Of the disorder. 1t is my purpose to
explain what is meant by focal in
lection.
Infection. should explain at the
outset, is the entrance into the body
of disease producing microbes and
the effects they produce. 1t is the
nature of an infection that these
germs must not only enter, but they
must produce disease effect. Now
when germ enters the body it es-
tablishes itself first at some point
where 1t can grow in numbers, be-
cause few cannot long survive in
real healthy tissue Therefore, I'M
less those disease microbes, which
are from time t, time finding en-
trance into the body can find some
tissue below the normal in vitality
they cannot survive and therefore
multiply. Givec a part of the body
where they can multiply they estab-
fish here a point of infection, and
from this as a base descendants of
the original invaders are carried to
various parts Of the body and va
rious disease conditions are pro-
duced. Such is the nature of focal
infections. The reason the tonsls
and teeth are most frequently in
eliminated is because they are the
principal offenders as focal or basal
points of infection. The explanation
for this Is easy to understand.
Through food, drink and air we are
constantly taking into our mouths
vast numbers of microbes. Many
of these are harmless, but many are
not, provided our tissues give them
a chance to do US harm The ton
sils and the teeth, by reason of the
constant passage of food, are con-
stantly soiled by food while eating.
remnants Of which are undergoing
digestion and putrifaction when we
are not so engaged. Lodgment of
food particles occurs about the base
or roots Of teeth. and in depressions
of the tonsils which are known as
crypts. Decomposing food is an ex-
cellent pabulum for the growth of
microbes. An attack of tonsilitis,
or dead tooth, offers further advan-
tages for multiplication, and so we
have established pockets in the ton
sils, or pockets about a dead tooth,
which are colonies of germs ready
for invading the body generally
when opportunity Is found. AS a
matter of fact from such a point of
localization germs are constantly be-
ing carried away by the blood
stream, only to be destroyed so long
as weakened tissue is not found
But sooner or later this lombard
ment makes hit, with the result
that we suffer an attack Of rheuma-
tism, appendicitis. endocarditis Tin
flammation of the lining Of the
heart), or meningitis. An ounce of
prevention Is, indeed, in respect to
the teeth and tonsils, worth
pound Of cure. So it behooves us to
give due heed to the possibilities of
harm in diseased tonsils and teeth
The tonsils can be investigated with
a probe, the teeth with the Xray; if
pus is found on examination, the Of
fender should be removed. No other
prevention is feasible, but to remove
this as a source of ether focal infec-
lions.
After writing the above, 1 would
be remiss in my duty to my readers
however, did l not warn them to use
judgment in acting on in6lscriminate
advice to have either tonsils
or teeth removed. Medicine has it's
fashions and fads even as has every
department of human endeavor. Re-
moval Of tonsils, provided skillfully
done, besides the temporary discom-
fort, can leave nc bad effects so far
as we know. But teeth once remov-
ed cannot be entirely successfully
supplanted with false ones, as many
persons have found out to their sor-
row. So beware of the faddist in
medicine. and the ignoramus who
recommends, the latest as an infalli-
BILE cure. Take time to reflect on
any advice which attributes an i'll
to focal Infection. Say you are
from Missouri ard want tt. be shown.