Year: 1863

At this season OF the year, says the
Philadelphia Ledger, whOoping cough
more or less makes its appearance in parts
of large city like this, and many people
are at very great efforts to keep their
children out of its reach II one hall
the pains were taken to carry them sue
cessfully and wisely through it, that there
are to prevent the infection of it reach
ing them, it would no doubt be found
that in the great majority OF cases the
whooping cough is the means. OF confer
ring an actual constitutional benefit, so
that the child will come out OF 1t stronger
and better in health, and with more fully
developed lungs than before it was at
tackled. Even as it is, the benefit to a
finily is on the average much greater
tnan the danger. Not above one in
twenty are supposed naturally to die of
this disease. 1t may, however, be doubt
ed if one ever dies of the whooping
cough, except by its producing some
other secondary affection, not a necessary
part of it, but to which there has been
some constitutional tendency, or which
is the result of Carelessness or accident.
In most of these cases fatal disease either
would have ensued without, or might
have been averted The disease itself
seems TO produce no necessary effect up
on the lungs at all traceable to dissec-
| ton.


The coughing may, and generally does
produce more or less inflammation, and this
in turn, mucus, and all these things put
together, may in weakly children, or
where the symptoms are neglected, pro
duce a great number of ultimate evil
consequences. But the cough itself is
strictly a spasmodic cough, arising from
convulsion of the nervous system, as
decidedly as laughing or crying, and it is
not, like most coughs, convulsiOn cdttS-
ed by some inflammation producing irri-
tating effects, though often causing it
1t is disease, therefore, throughout all
| its three stages, whose bark is worse than
its bite, if properly watched Indeed it
is only astonishing, the amount of suffer-
ing child will 60 through from its par
oxysms one minute, and, except fatigue,
be perfectly free from pain and all inflam-
matory symptoms the next. Many chill
dren are even observed to have hetter
appetite and finer spirits and general
health, even nearly all the time that the
whooping cough is upon them, than at
any period of their lives. i i--.'.
OF course the strain of these parox-
ysms of itself, apart from all the expec-
toration, makes a heavy draft upon the
constitution, and hence, when the child
is weakly or debilitated by other sickness,
care should be taken to avoid exposure
to it. Young infants, not knowing how
to expectorate, should be kept from the
contagion. 1t is also preferable not to
have children take it in the fall, as it is
apt to affect them all winter. But be-
yond that there is no reason for taking
pains to avoid it, where children are of
proper age and in good health. On the
contrary, it is to be allowed to pass
through the family, not as a disease so
much as something sent probably to pro-
duce a higher development of health
than could be attained withoutit. Wheth-
er lis that it takes from the system a
certain lymphatic or other peculiarity
which, though up to certain stage, it is
now equally desirable to expel from the
system, or whether it is simply through the
expansion of the lungs, occasiohed by
coughing, certain it is that it often pro-
duces marked constitutional improve
ment. .-. -.. .-..,


If any person, child or adult, would
but take quill and draw deep, full in
spiration, so as slowly to expand the
lungs TO the utmost, and repeat this for
for five minutes daily, the chest will soon
measure four or five inches more in cir
cumference, and in proportion to the
greater amount of oxygen thus inhaled,
the lungs will be kept freer from disease,
the amount of food digested will be in
creased, and the vital energy, the real
being and living power of the individual,
will be augmented. .-. ......... -.


Whooping cough, therefore, should be
looked forward to, when it comes into a
family, as a messenger indeed to make
fresh demands upon parental care and
watchfulness in every symptom, but sent
also to prepare, and as it were compel
the child to expand its lungs .afresh and
on a larger scale, on entering on new
period of its existence, just as the cries
of its earliest infancy are arranged TO
give expansion to its lungs at first.