The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-05-09

by I'LL Hltuls. olff
attack does not mean that you can
have immunity against 1t, as one ut
tack of measles can give you immunity
against subsequent exposure to meas
les. Pneumonia you can have time and
again, If you survive. There Is one In
stance ON record of person who had
twenty-eight attacks of pneumonia. and
four to ten attacks are no. uncommon.
Pneumonia is a disease mostly Of the
cold temperate zone, but it occurs all
over the world. No place Is safe from
it.
They have 1t in the tropics, and yet,
strange as 1t may seem, there are COM
munities In the Arctic zones In which
pneumonia has never happened until
some person from the outside world
brought the disease to them.
In this country 10 per cent of all
deaths In the period 1ao0-1920 were due
to pneumonia. Children. under six
years are especially prone to 1t, and
SO are elderly persons. For some cause
we do not yet understand. children be-
tween six and fifteen years Of age do
not often have It, But many apnar-
emily strong athletes die of It, We
have reason to believe that pneumonia
has been on the decline since 1920, but
we are not positive. Pneumonia Is apt
to complIcate many other diseases that
would have had fatal termination
anyway, so that 1t Is often hard to
say for certain In these cases whether
pneumonia or the other disease Is the
immediate cause of death.
Many doctors have been trying to
find cure for pneumonia. The 0xy-
gen tent has proved beneficial numer-
GUS times, but many patients die even
when given this aid A number Of doc
tors have given seemingly miraculous
help by administering diathermy. In
| the instance of pneumonia, this means
heating the sore spots In the lungs with
electricity. Recently doctor In Call
| fornia, Of high scientific reputation. an
nounced that he had discovered So
rum that can be used In pneumonia
prevention. 1t Is too early yet, TO say
how eficacious this serum will prove.
| There must still be many months Of ex-
| pertinent.
Meanwhile do everything you can TO
keep yourself from getting pneumonia.
Children who have been i'll with meas
| les or scarlet fever or any Of the other
/ infectious diseases should be especially
guarded against taking cold that might
terminate in pneumonia
Pneumonia germs, nneumococci. are
spread by discharges from the mouth
and nose, and enter the body through
the same channels. So persons who
come in contact with pneumonia cases
| should be careful to wash their hands
| before touching their own mouth and
nose. There are four general types of
i pneumonia germs and the bacteria
logists can determine somewhat the
treatment
But the Gisconraglng factor In the
treatment of pneumonia Is that these
types do not remain constant In their
degree of intensity from year to year
For instance one type may be very
mild one year with large percentage
of recoveries, then the SINE type may
be very yirulpnt the next year. with dt
per cent or more Of the patients dying
So we emphasize again. pneumonia
Is Il most treacher0us disease. Do ev
erything In Your power to prevent get
ting 1t. Alcohol trauma, irritating
dnsts and gases, and deficiency die
may predispose to pneumonia Chill
dren suffering from ricketts,, or persons
with scnrvy are especially susceptible
Keeping up your bodily resistance |:
j the best defense. In all respiration,
diseases we have learned that 1t Is yer,
important that our skin be able t,
adapt itself quickly to changes in TEN
peratnre. The person who stays In
doors too much during cold weathe
Is apt to be as f'rail as hot house
plant when he goes out into cold air
Keep yourself in such good stat,
of health that you don't develop a COLI
from the virus you carry in your owr
nose. All Of us have the ''malSings" 0
a cold with us all the time.
So long as we keep the cold virus Of
the surface Of the nose and do not al
low ii to invade our body, we will M
have cold, But II we st for a lon
time in close, poorly ventilated an
overcrowded room. we literally smoth
er our skins, for sitting still, we hpa
up an air cushion around us that be
comes saturated with moisture The
when we 90 into the outside cold W nd
air. we have a sluggish skin and nos
circulation and we catch" cold. O
we might get cold from ogereating 0
from having come In too close contnr
with person who has cold Hardl
anyone can avoid a cold If he has bee
showered sufficiently with spray frol
head cold sufferer.
A neglected cold can easily turn Int
! pneumonia, as we all know, If 70
have severe cold. call Il doctor.
e., Western Newspaper Union.