The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-04-27

neck, or sudden thump in the
heart region followed by a gone
feeling and faintneSS. There may
be violent palpitation with sense
OF impending death. Indigestion
with gastric distress and gaseous
distention in the inteStines often
adds TO the uncasinesS.
Pulse Is Irregular
There nay be SorgF~paics,t IT, hs&
region Of the heart, shortness OF
breath with coughing to clear the
throat and help one TO obtain
more air. The patients often COM
plain that they cannot feel the
pulse at the wrist. There may be
pounding in the chest, but only an
occasional strong pulse at the
wrist. This causes the patient great
alarm. We call this n d t on
"auricular fertilization" II is good
name, but It doesn't tell all, what
is wrong and what to do about It.
Our knowledge Of the cause OF
this condition is not always very
definite. In many cases, it is pres
ent without any marked organic
heart trouble. II is the result OF
some disturbance in the nerve i'm
pulses that travel TO the muscle
fiberS OF the auriCles, which are
chambers Of the heart.
Most Of you know that the heart
is built somewhat like a pump.
The venous blood that has been
used by the body enters the right
side, (the right euricle). and Is
pumped to the lungs to be puri-
fled with oxygen. Then 1t flows
back to the heart, the left auricle
this time. and rs discharged again
into the arteries Of the body.
Each chamber Of the heart con-
tains a little bundle OF nerves
whose business it is TO control the
contraction and relaxation Of the
muscle fiberS OF that chamber. II
these impulses are normal, eacn
chamber contracts firmly and re-
lakes fully in perfect rhythm and
all is well.
In auricular fertilization, these
nerve bundles do not give rhythmic
impulses but irregular impulses.
Hence some fibers contract while
others expand, with the result that
the chambers do not open up fully
or contract entirely and the result
is a marked futter Hence the VEN
trlcles, which are other heart
chambers, do not receive a con-
tinuous flow OF blood Their con-
fractions become upset and do not
fill the arteries at each impulse.
CopyrnI. Ir,,D,ilspS
II we listen directly to the heart
beat, instead Of hearing rub
dub" we hear only dub" When
we feel the pulse, we find that not
all contractions are strong enough
to carry to the radial or other dis
tant arteries. The flow Of blood is
not continuous or complete. Hence
the patient may feel a pounding
heart beat or none at all. and SUI
fers the discomforts Of apparent
heart failure. which he describes
in telling his feelings.
The discomfort and apprehen-
hension are more pronounced than
the danger.
Remember the trouble is due to
improper nerve impulses. Forum
ately, we have two very definite
remedies. Digitalis has the power
of controlling the force OF con-
traction OF the heart muscle and
slowing the frequency Of the con-
fractions. II seems to have no
effect on the nervous mechanism.
The remedy which has been
proven able to control the nervous
mechanism is quinidin. The con-
dition of auricuar fertilization Is
due TO some Inflammation or toxic
accumulation an d quinidin, O
form OF quinine. is known TO be
effective In overcoming these toxic
deposits. and In clearing up the
blood stream itself. Small doses OF
two TO four grains a day at the
beginning, 70 we'd by twenty
grains each day in broken doses.
restores the normal rhythm in
from five to ten days Then 1t can
be continued for some time in
smaller doses or discontinued for
a week or two and then repeated
In cases OF not too long duration.
this treatment is successful. The
effect is not entirely. understood,
but the action is most satisfactory.