The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-12-03
AT5MOsT CONVINCED ABOUT EXPOSURE

ALMOST CONVINCED ABOUT EXPOSURE I "a convert to your teaching, and when I say convert I mean that formerly consld- cred your notions about the harmlessness of exposure to cold and wet plumb crazy. But the more I read your interesting and enlight- ening articles on the subject, the more i'm pressed by the scientific frankness and sincerity. I began carrying out some of our hy- gienic suggestions have enjoyed mld-Win- ter plunges when we have to chop away the ice to make place to dive in but am still a little inclined to fear pneumonia because l had pneumonia four years ago. Then two Of my friends capsized in their boat in the winter, l and several days later one of them succumbed | to pneumonia. co. W) G} Our correspondent raises a fair question. Whenever any one is rescued from the water in very cold weather the story invariably says that the doctors anticipate recovery unless pneumonia develops. This association of pneu- monia with the shock and suffering of such ex- posture to cold misleads the lay mind and, fear, the mind of physicians who should know better.
 It is true that persons who have suffered submersion in cold water, ir even in ordinary cool water such that of sea, lakes or streams in summer weather, more likely to develop a special type of pneumonia by reason of the | submersion. But this is unlike the diease we all know pneumonia Gobar pneumonia, lung fever, pleuro-pneumonia) and so unlike the condition variously called broncho-pneu- monia, catarrhal pneumonia, suffocatve ca- tarrh and capillary bronchitis, that neither lay man nor physician would be aware of any trou- ble in the lungs if the signs of congestion were not detected by repeated frequent auscultation and percussion of the chest. The only SYMP- TOM the victim of this traumatic or hypostatic pneumonia shows increasing prostration or Weakness. In short the trouble is rather failure of circulation, from exhaustion, than lung ln- fammation or pneumonia And by the same token it Is best prevented or guarded against by measures calculated to restore strength to the circulation. Persons who wander away and exposed to cold and perhaps starvation for several days and nights are likely to develop this hypostatic pneumonia before or after rescue. Elderly or feeble persons may develop the same condition even without any exposure to cold, just from failure of the circulation, especially if they are long confined in bed, Say by some injury.
 By "hypostatic is meant that the lower or dependent parts of the lungs become congest- ed-the blood stagnates in the lower parts of the chest cavity. When such statgnation of blood reaches point where most or all the air is crowded out of the affeoted portions of the lungs by the blood we call it 'pneumonia." But it is still mechanical effect of impaired circulation.
 a little water in his lungs the injury to the del- icate lung tissue may favor actual infection and genuine pneumonia But as rule traumatic or injury pneumonia is mechanical conges- ton from debility incident to shock, and not an inflammation or infection such as We or dinarily think of when say pneumonia
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 Southing Skin Cream
 Please repeat the recipe you gave while ago for the relief of itching after a bath (F. K. S.)
 Answer-Two drams of lanoln, mixed with dram of boroglycerid and drams of cold cream made from white petrolatum. small quantity of this is sufficient for large surface of skin. If itching is severe you may incorpor- ate three or four grains of menthol in the for mula.
 Let the Baby Lie
 Is it harmful for baby to sleep on his stOm- ach? My two-montlls- baby will sleep soundly most of the night if laid his stom- ach but he is restless if laid on his back. (NIrs F. V. W.)
 Answer-It is all right, really the natural position for sleep. He is no more on his stom- ach than he is his liver You mean he is on his belly. Or if baby's belly seems improper to mention you might say prone. Lying the back is supine. Most of our Yankee intelligen- tsia do not know this
 Prone Pressure Respiration
 I have noticed w-lere succession of oper- atoPs maintained prone pressure respiration the rhythm varied with different operators. To what extent might this harm the patient? (F. K.)
 Answer--It would be better to maintain a fairly constant rhythm, say 15 compressions to the minute.
 Photo by Manning Hard Studio. TODAY'S SELECTED POEM ED PG-... :.
 (Carl Edwin Burklund in '"The Gypsy')
 RAINY NIGHT IN THE COUNTRY Over the rose garden the rain falls
 Softly; the warm rich earth flowers In odors of sweetfern and blossom; a bird calls |
 Hidden in green from slow showers A first lamp kindles in the rain-gray night;
 Trees simmer in the moist silver, misty and Meadows fail-over the low roof the light
 Patter of rain is music. quiet and beautiful