Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-04-18
Have You A
Good Hearth
by Frederic J. IIaskin

New York. April 1s.-The broken
heart" so frequently encountered IN
romantic fiction is now declared 10 bc
a scientific fact. Hearts actually do
break. a famous heart specialist finds.
and such breakages arc by no means
uncommon. she died of broken
heart" can no longer bc considered a
mere figure of speech. Perhaps she
really did.
A surprising thing about broken
hearts. moreover. according 90 this
scientist. is that they arc more often
caused by Joy than sorrow Perhaps
IL is as well that the world'a supply
~ JOY II limited. In tho light of this
new discovery. in fact. the joy Killer,
now an unappreciated figure in our
midst. T. seen 10 be IN some cases
public hencfactor.
Broken hearts" says this British
doctor. occur not only among human
beings but among animals. l. myself.
have known an animal to rupture its
heart through ioy. Indeed. have seen
this az it happened.
THE disaster ig not caused hy grief.
the emotion. nor 10y joy. the emotion.
hut indirectly. II is the result of the
presence IN tho b5oo dof . chemical sub
stance poured into i as the result of
one o( those curious reactions of which
wc know 40 little. Grief. joy. worry,
lnvc-aU these emotions and probably
others produce definite chemical re
actions resulting in the generation of
actual substances Hate. for example.
produces a chemical poison. which af-
Cccts the blood Of him who hates. And
so for all other emotions Those that
are produced by JOY seem most likely
to break the heart. The fatal result
Is caused hy an oyerstimulation OF the
heart nerves
This il undoubtedly the most interest
ing information that has yet been CON
trihutcd 10 the meagcr data which
Exists concerning the heart and its var
ious idiosyncraCics. The heart is per
hans the least understood OF mans
organs Its breakdown. II not its ac-
tual breakagc, causes moro deaths to-
day than any other afiiicton. over a
hundred thousand persons die OF heart
disease in this country every year.
In New York city alone the annual
death rate from organic diseases of the
heart is over 10000 or about the same
as the entire national death rate from
automobile accidents. II is estimated
that 20 600 children in the New York
schools are already Handicapped 10y per
nanentIy damaged hearts. and that an
even greater number Of industrial work
ers are suffering from various form Of
heart disease. and il is known that .
per cent of the boys examined in the
draft were rejected because OF damaged
hearts.
Combating Heart Trouble.
While it has by no means done
enough, New York has probably done
more to combat this greatest of na-
tional Affections than any other city. II
has an Association for the Prevention
and Relief of Heart Disease, which has
accomplished splendid work in promot-
ing the study of heart ailments and in
providing special facilities for cardiac
patients. About IL cardiac clinics are
now operated in connection with city
hospitals, while various convalescent
homes for cardiacs have recently been
opened.
Yet none of these activities have
thrown great light upon the origin of
heart disease. The accosiation is in
clined To place most of the responsible
" upon environment. They point out
that like tuberculosis, heart trouble -
found chiefly among the poor and those
who. by bitter necessity or by careless
ness. live under unfavorablc conditions.
II the disease is discovered in it's early
stages and the patient given plenty ot
rest proper food. fresh air and well
ventilated sleeping quarters, II is usual
ly easily cured they assert. but where
the disease has existed for number al
years, the cure is extremely dlificult'
While they believe with the British
specialist that emotional excitement is
probably contributOry cause OF heart
trouble. bad living habits have the most
to do with it.
The heart may be damaged by Ger
tain infectious diseases or by the CON
stant use OF stimulants or by unsuita-
BILE modes of life" reads q pamphlet now
being distributed by the association.
THE infectious diseases most ire
uuently affecting the heart are rheum
atism and syphilis. In early life rheum-
atism is the chief cause, while the
cardiac damage due TO syphilis IS gen
| orally apparent only in later life.
although the causes Of acute rheum
atism are not definitely known, it is
quite certain that it is germ disease
I in which the infection probably enters
| through diseased tonsils, adenoids and
! decayed teeth The removal OF such
| tonsiIs, adcnoids and the proper care OF
the teeth seem to be the most direct and
| effective preventive measures against
rheumatism. Also the value OF out
door exercise and sufficient sleep III
well l-ventiated rooms as preventive
measures cannot he overestimated.
Adults leading sedentaTy lives, whose
activities are chiefly mental, who get
hut little outdoor exercise and who eat
more and sleep less than they should,