Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-15
Lungs Liable
To Invasion
ByGerms
Open to M any Forms
Of Disease Attacks
BY DIR. LOGAN CLENDENING

BY DIR. LOGAN CLENDENING
THE lungs are naturally SUBJ
Il ject to germ invasion more
than any other form of disease.
Eighteen times a minute for
all the years of your life you
take into the lungs some of the
outside air.
In crowded theaters you breath
some of the droplets that are
sneezed out or coughed up by
other people.
In the air there may be not
only germs. but dust and molds
from plants and other sources,
pollen grains and animal dander.
Thus the most frequent re-
spiratory diseases are the COM
mon cold, influenza. pneumonia.
tuberculosis, asthma: and in fact
this group constitutes the most
frequent group Of diseases to
which human beings are subject.
I say "molds from plants and
other sources" for while a
physician naturally thinks first
of influenza, pneumonia or tuber-
culosis when he has an acute
or chronic case of respiratory
infection. the number of mold
infections that are being dis
covered Is easing very
rapidly.
These molds are microscopic
vegetable organisms which are
much more complicated than the
bacteria of ordinary germs.
ONE case in point of a mold
" infection which is increasing
in frequency Is that of the So
called San Joaquin Valley fever
of California.
Up to about 1899 no case
ever had been detected outside
of California.
In California il was called
valley fever" and desert fever"
In the soil of that region the
mold grows in great abundance
and probably nearly all the in
habitants acquire an humanity
from repeated small infections.
This would account for the
fact that the disease is almost
stationary in incidence in the
San Joaquin Valley, but has
begun to appear in Arizona,
New Mexico and other of the
western states.
A number of cases have oc-
Cured in eastern states, but in
all instances, so far as ] know,
the affected individual had re-
turned from a trip TO California
or Arizona.
In Arizona, however, cases
have been reported in individuals
who never have gone outside
the state, so il must be due to a
locally acquired infection.
THE onset of the condition
Il may take several forms; an
acute form suggesting cold
or influenza with cough and
sputum is quite frequent.
A more chronic onset often
is labeled tuberculosis and the
patient put in sanatorlum
with that diagnosis.
He may remain there for some
time before the mold is found
in the sputum and the real
nature of the condition revealed.
Any case which has been
labeled tuberculosis and does
not run a characteristic course
should be suspected OF some
form of mold infection OF the
lungs.
San Joaquin Valley fever may
run a mild or a severe course,
but most cases are mild.
In treatment no special drug
has been found 10 be of any
particular value. The best re-
suits have come from the use
of some of the sulfonamide
compounds or from vaccines.
but the most important OF all is
prolonged rest in bed.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERS
J. I. D.: What is the disease
known as paroxysmal tachy-
cardia and what cure Is there
for it?
Answer: Paroxysmal tachycar-
dia is an attack of very rapid
heart.
The heart suddenly jumps up
from normal rate of ~ to
over 80 and sometimes over
200 The attack stops just as
suddenly as it began.
Doctors do not know very
much about the causes.
Sometimes the attacks can be
stopped by pressure over the
nerve ganglia in the neck.
Records show that in spite OF
the apparently alarming nature
of the condition. patients get
over these attacks and live for
a long time.
l have known one who had
his first attack over 20 years
ago and is still going strong.