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THE CAUSE AND CURE OF COLDS
THE SCIENCE OF LIVING, OR, THE ART OF K
8vo,$1.50 net.
A. C. McCLURG & CO., PUBLISHERS
CHICAGO
COPYRIGHT
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1910
Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England
Published October 1, 1910
Second Edition, March 25, 1911
PRESS OF THE VAIL COMPANY
COSHOCTON, U. S. A.
DEDICATED
TO
THE VICTIMS OF COMMON COLDS, AND
TO ALL WHO
LIVE IN CONSTANT
FEAR OF CATCHING COLD
OF all the minor maladies from which the civilized races generally
suffer, common colds are undoubtedly the most widespread and distressing. Colds,
constipation, and headache constitute a trio of common afflictions which are very largely
preventable.
Fully nine-tenths of these distressing minor maladies, together with their attendant social inconvenience and pecuniary loss, could be easily prevented.
Professor Irving Fisher, in his report on "National Vitality" prepared for The National Conservation Commission, estimates that the average well man is compelled to lose about five days each year as the result of colds, headaches, and other of these minor physical disorders.
The author's lecture, "Catching and Curing a Cold," is given to about one hundred
thousand people each summer at the leading
Suppose we allow that the adult wage-earner loses on an average but two days annually as
the result of colds. Let us estimate the daily wage of such men at two dollars. It is
certain that large numbers of people who are kept from their work by colds sustain a loss
equal to many times this sum. Now, estimating that we have, say, fifteen millions of
wage-earners who are thus afflicted each year, it will at once appear that we have a
direct economic loss of sixty million dollars.
Further inquiries conducted by the author tend to show that the average individual spends
from one to two dollars on either patent eighty million dollars as the result of colds. If the real facts were fully known
and we were in possession of absolutely reliable statistics, we believe this sum would
undoubtedly mount up to more than one hundred million dollars. It certainly would if
influenza and its after disability and treatment were taken into account. But let us be
moderate in dealing with statistics of this sort, and estimate the annual pecuniary loss
from colds, direct and indirect, at eighty million dollars.
But the monetary loss from these minor maladies is indeed a very small part of the
Colds are not only responsible for an enormous pecuniary loss, but they must be looked upon as undermining and sapping the vitality of the people; as lowering the vital resistance of the individual to other and more serious infections.
Colds are also directly concerned in decreasing the general efficiency of all. who are
attacked. The estimate of the loss of two or three days each year from colds does not
include the days of decreasing efficiency which so often precede the actual absence of the
individual from work, neither does it take into account the days or even weeks of
decreased efficiency which frequently follow cold-infections,
Colds result in untold inconvenience, in that they often seriously interfere with the
fulfilment of business, professional, and social engagements. The catching of a cold is
liable to interfere with both the small social gathering and the large public meeting. A
public lecturer is not only prevented from delivering his message as the result of
catching a cold, but the humble citizen is also prevented from hearing it; for one who is
suffering from a cold in the head seldom desires to attend either private social functions
or public lectures. But this indisposition is hardly to be regarded as an unmixed curse.
Sufferers from a severe cold should go to bed. It is for their good as well as the good of
the community, that colds should be more or less quarantined, for, in the last analysis,
most colds are infectious maladies.
While this volume is based largely upon the author's Chautauqua lecture, "Catching and Curing a Cold," much of the matter found in Chapters IV, V, and VI was originally prepared for "The Designer," and our thanks are due the editor for his courteous permission to publish this matter in permanent form.
It is the sincere desire of the author that this little work shall contribute something toward a sensible understanding of the cause of colds, aid in their prevention, and materially assist in their successful management and treatment in accordance with rational rules and scientific principles.
WILLIAM S. SADLER.
100 STATE STREET, CHICAGO,
September 1, 1910.
DEFINITIONS.OLDS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.LASSIFICATION OF COLDS.OLDS DUE TO SOME SPECIFIC GERM INFECTION.OLDS DUE TO A DISTURBANCE OF THE
CIRCULATION.OLDS DUE
TO DERANGEMENT OF NUTRITION.HE COMMON COLD AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
BEFORE we attempt to discuss intelligently the causes, prevention,
cure, and consequences of the common household cold, it will be necessary to seek for a
definition of the term, and otherwise discuss its real meaning and significance as
currently used by the common people.
Webster defines a cold as follows: "An indisposition occasioned by exposure to cold
or to
Gould's Medical Dictionary gives the following definition of a cold: "A term used popularly for coryza and catarrhal conditions of the respiratory tract."
Dorland's Medical Dictionary defines a cold thus: "A catarrhal or other disorder, due to exposure to cold and wet."
It is little wonder that the common people have perverted notions and distorted ideas respecting the nature and cause of colds, when the makers of our dictionaries sincerely offer the foregoing definitions as expressing the correct conception of a common cold.
It is apparent from these definitions that the old-time notion that colds owe their
origin to rainy days, dampness, exposure, cold air, and draughts, has not been
successfully refuted by the modern germ theory. As will be shown subsequently, these
conditions of temperature, air, and moisture are but contributing factors in the
causation of common colds. Further, these climatic influences, which are ordinarily
regarded as the real cause of a cold, exert but
Of all the common, minor maladies afflicting the civilized races probably none are more troublesome and more completely misunderstood than common colds; while they certainly occasion more and greater inconvenience than all the rest of the minor maladies put together. By far the majority of our population, young and old, fall victims one or more times each year, to a cold of more or less severity; in duration lasting anywhere from two or three days to two or three weeks.
The time has come for intelligent people to take common colds seriously, for when they are severe and frequent-- when they manifest a tendency to "hang on"-- they may lay the foundation for numerous chronic diseased conditions of both the nose and the throat.
Severe colds, when persistent and neglected, may do much toward predisposing certain
In the use of the term "colds" we usually refer to an acute infection or inflammation in the head, particularly affecting the nose, and accompanied in the early stage by sneezing, chilliness, shivering, fullness in the head; and later by muscular pains, dry skin, constipation, impairment of the senses of taste and smell, varying mucous discharge (becoming purulent in two or three days), more or less sore throat, sometimes cough, hoarseness, headache, fever, etc. A cold usually runs from seven to ten days. The patient is often taken suddenly with sneezing and chilliness, and this is soon followed by a state of general feverishness. This same group of symptoms which marks the early stages of a cold, also ushers in numerous infectious diseases, including diphtheria, typhoid fever, smallpox, scarlet fever, whooping-cough, measles, pneumonia, and influenza.
"Chills and fever" constitute a group of symptoms which mark the beginning or early
One of the questions constantly asked by our patients who are frequent sufferers from colds, is: "Doctor, what is the real cause of my bad colds; why do I catch cold so often; what makes it hang on so long?"
A somewhat different answer must be found for this question in the case of almost every patient, but observation and study have led the author into the belief that there are three great classes of colds. That is, while we are forced to recognize that some microbe is at the bottom of practically every cold, nevertheless, the vast majority of common colds may be grouped under one of the following heads:
1. Colds due entirely to some specific germ infection. This group
of colds includes the wilder forms of influenza or "grippe," a malady
It is highly probable that no amount of cold bathing and other commonly advised preventives of colds will always serve to prevent one from contracting these infectious colds. They strike individuals in the neighborhood with the unconcern and impartiality shown by measles, mumps, or smallpox, when these maladies are abroad in the community. These infectious colds sometimes become epidemic, and it is quite likely that the individual's general physical state has but little to do with their contraction.
2. Colds due primarily to a disturbance of the circulation. This
group of colds is largely preventable by means of the proper adjustment of the
clothing, by avoiding draughts when fatigued, by preventing chilling, exposure, cold
feet, etc. Certain individuals afflicted with an
3. Colds largely due to deranged nutrition and disordered
metabolism. Another group of colds, the author believes, is caused, directly or
indirectly, by certain disorders of digestion and derangement of nutrition. The
victims of chronic dyspepsia and constipation suffer more or less from acidæmia, a
bodily state in which an abnormal amount of certain acids are circulating in the
blood. This acid condition of the blood stream is not only irritating to the mucous
membrane of the nose, throat, and lungs; but it also cripples the action of the white
blood cells, whose work of destroying germs is so vitally connected with the
prevention of colds and the preservation of health.
A cold, then, may be defined as an acute infectious disease, more or less contagious, chiefly and primarily affecting the mucous membrane of the nose and throat. Numerous conditions pertaining to the physical health of the individual, as well as the nature of his immediate surroundings, are all directly or indirectly concerned in producing a favorable soil for the growth, development, and spread of the microbes responsible for the cold.
The sneezing which usually accompanies the "catching of a cold" is a symptom of the first stage of the disease,-- it is positive evidence of the cold you already have. Both chilling and sneezing are indications that you already have a cold, that the infection has taken root; the germs have begun to multiply, the mischief has begun to spread.
And so all the evidence points to the fact
Further reasons for regarding colds as being caused by certain microbes (see Fig.
2
1. Colds are shown to be contagious, and therefore caused by germs: by the simple fact that they are "catching," one can take a cold from another person who has a cold.
2. Severe colds always begin with a sensation of chilliness followed by more or less of a fever-- chills and fever. That is the identical manner in which practically every infectious disease caused by microbes begins its career.
3. Like all germ-caused diseases, colds have a tendency to run a more or less definite course. They are self-limited; that is, after a certain time, they usually begin to recover of themselves. In this way a cold behaves exactly as do measles, chicken-pox, scarlet-fever, pneumonia, etc.
4. Like other infectious diseases, colds may be followed by inflammations in various internal organs, producing a congestion of the stomach, lungs, liver, spleen, or kidneys. These secondary results are due to the irritating effects of the poisons (toxins) of the germs circulating in the blood stream of the patient. These symptoms of secondary poisoning follow in the wake of colds and influenza, just as they follow attacks of diphtheria and scarlet-fever.
5. Colds are shown to be infectious by the fact that they are usually, sometimes highly, contagious: when we have a severe cold we can give it to others, to those individuals who are susceptible.
6. Colds, like other contagious maladies, can be prevented, controlled, and regulated by isolation and quarantine; and we should hasten the time when they will be thus sensibly regarded and scientifically treated.
7. Colds are shown to be more or less infectious by the fact that they can generally,
in their earlier stages, be successfully treated and
8. That common colds are of an infectious nature is further suggested by the well-known fact that a severe cold seems to confer a short-lived immunity upon its victim. That is, a healthy, robust person who is just recovering from a very bad cold is not likely to have another such attack for several months, maybe not for a full year. Some folks have their regular colds once each winter; then they are seldom bothered for another year.
OVEREATING AND INDIGESTION.XCESS OF PROTEIN.YSPEPSIA AND ACIDÆMIA.HRONIC CONSTIPATION.VERCLOTHING OR ERRORS IN CLOTHING.NACTIVITY OF THE SKIN.HE SEDENTARY LIFE.OWERED VITALITY AND FATIGUE.HE MENTAL STATE.LCOHOLIC EXCESSES, ETC.
COLD-CAUSES may be divided into two classes: the predisposing, that
is, those conditions of the body indirectly favoring colds; and the exciting, that is,
the immediate or provoking influence producing the cold.
The various bodily states and physical habits which favor taking cold are quite
numerous. The term "colds" is but a reminder that this infection is popularly supposed
to be caused by the influence of cold air, exposure, or low temperature. At the very
outset we endeavored
1. Overeating and indigestion. The practice of habitually taking into
the stomach more food than is required to nourish and sustain the body results in
overworking the digestive organs, clogging the system, and greatly over-taxing the
organs engaged in the elimination of body-poisons and waste matters-- the skin, kidneys,
etc. When in such a state as this, the body is ill prepared to fight hostile microbes
and resist infectious colds. The first great cause of colds is overeating combined with
underworking.
The author has seen many sufferers from chronic colds greatly helped or permanently red
by improving digestion and cutting down their daily ration, thus effectually preventing
intestinal fermentation and putrefaction, with e consequent absorption of poisons and
toxins
The observing physician is forced to recognize that there exists more than an accidental relationship between habitual gluttony and frequently recurrent colds. The dyspeptic is doubly predisposed to take cold from the slightest exposure or from the least disturbance of the circulation.
2. Excess of protein. Occasionally, we find an individual who is
predisposed to catarrh and colds, because he is anaemic and under-nourished; either
because he eats too little, or he does not assimilate his food, or his food is not
nutritious and abundant. On the other hand, a large percentage of the sufferers from
chronic and repeated colds are found among the high protein consumers, the heavy
meat-eaters.
As a nation, we are large meat-eaters, daily consuming from two to three times the
amount of protein required to maintain the body in a state of perfect health. This fact
has been shown clearly by the reliable experiments of Professor Chittenden, of Yale, as
well as by
It is not alone the author's experience, but also that of many of his patients, that a reduction in the protein food element has been followed speedily by a reduction in colds, both in frequency and severity. This will be considered more fully under the head of the prevention of colds.
3. Dyspepsia and acidœmia. It is commonly observed that severe and
acute colds frequently follow attacks of acute indigestion. Chronic dyspepsia and
chronic colds go hand in hand. As previously noted, the acid state of the blood which
accompanies indigestion and dyspepsia, predisposes to all infections and various
inflammations, while at the same time greatly crippling the body in its efforts to fight
germs and withstand infection. The liberal use of the strong condiments undoubtedly
irritates the nose and throat and thus favors congestion and colds.
All victims of dyspepsia suffer more or less from poor circulation, together with
disturbances
4. Chronic constipation. Either all alone or accompanying the
foregoing conditions, constipation is certainly, in some measure, responsible for the
annoying habit of catching cold so troublesome to some people. It is a common bit of
history to elicit from patients who are coming down with the grippe or a severe cold,
that their bowels usually move quite regularly, but that for the past week they had been
some-what constipated. Sluggishness of the bowel, in the majority of cases, precedes the
taking of cold.
Even in the case of infants and young children, a period of more or less constipation
is almost certain to be followed by a bad cold. The absorption of intestinal toxins
seems to be very closely related to the tendency to take cold in many individuals, and
this constitutes
5. Errors in clothing. Another of the predisposing causes of colds is
the wearing of too much clothing. (See Fig. 3.
The opposite extreme-- the wearing of too little clothing and the consequent exposure
and chilling which would inevitably follow-- must result in greatly predisposing
ill-nourished and otherwise susceptible persons to catching frequent and severe colds.
(See Fig. 3.
The habit of wearing thick furs over some portions of the body, as about the neck,
should be avoided, except in the severest of cold weather. Tight collars and tight neck
bands favor congestion and sore throat. So-called "chest protectors" are a snare and a
delusion. These devices invariably render their wearers more liable to contract colds.
Especially is it
6. Inactivity of the skin. This is undoubtedly one of the greatest
predisposing causes of colds. The physicians of the next generation will pay more
attention to the hygiene of the skin than we do at present. The skin is an organ of
great importance when studied from the standpoint of colds. The average individual has
about seventeen square feet of skin whose countless thousands of eliminating ducts
represent an area of almost eleven thousand square feet, while these eliminating tubes
if placed end to end would make a single sewer about ten miles long.
When the skin is dry, rough, leathery, cold, and bloodless, it indicates that the internal organs and mucous membranes are more or less congested, and internal congestion is just the condition that favors taking cold.
In this way congestion of the lungs favors bronchitis and pneumonia. Chilling of the
7. The sedentary life. There can be little doubt that the indoor life
predisposes to colds. Sedentary workers are subjected, as a rule, to an overheated
atmosphere during the winter. They are usually compelled to breathe foul air, which
irritates the nose and throat and favors infection and subsequent inflammation of the
mucous membranes.
Again, lack of physical exercise results in the sluggish circulation of the blood through both muscles and skin, and this all favors the taking of cold, when persons in such circumstances are momentarily exposed to draughts or other chilling influences. Likewise, the inhalation of smoke and other irritating gases from locomotives or manufacturing plants tends to irritate the nose and throat, and predisposes to colds.
Any person who has a normal, healthy circulation, especially one who habitually lives out of doors, can successfully withstand almost any and every degree of exposure to the various common cold-causes.
8. Lowered vitality and fatigue. All persons suffering from lingering
and wasting diseases, together with those having lowered vitality from whatever cause,
are predisposed to recurrent colds. One is also more likely to catch cold when fatigued,
as in the evening after a day's hard work, or after having undergone some severe
physical or nervous strain.
Any scheme for preventing colds which does not aim at the development of the power of vital resistance-- at increasing one's powers of reaction to infection-- is doomed to certain failure. Any and all influences which in any manner lower the vital resistance, greatly increase the likelihood of taking cold.
By far the majority of common colds are contracted at night, when the body is wearied
and the vital resistance is greatly lowered. Chronic nasal catarrh-- itself often a
result of lowered vitality-- is also a cause of many
9. The mental state. There can be little question, from our knowledge
of the influence of the mind on the circulation of the blood,-- especially blood
movement through the skin,-- that a person's mental state may often act as a
predisposing cause of colds.
Victims of fear, grief, and chronic worry, usually have pale skins; and in this way, by its influence upon the skin-circulation, the mind itself may contribute to that disturbance of the circulation which so predisposes to the catching of colds. The fear of night air has acquired the dignity of a popular superstition, and is erroneously supposed to favor taking cold. Night air is colder than day air, more chilling; and only because of this fact, can night air ever be truthfully charged with causing colds. Proper and sufficient clothing will effectually rob night air of all its cold-terrors.
The despondent man or woman is undoubtedly predisposed to contract any contagion to
10. Alcoholic excesses, tobacco-smoking, and various other physical
habits which may interfere with the individual's health by decreasing the vital
resistance, or acidifying the blood, all favor the development of that bodily state
which predisposes to catching cold.
It is a fact not generally understood that the constant use of the various narcotics tends to decrease the alkalinity of the blood. When the alkalinity of the blood is decreased, the vital resistance is proportionately lowered; and when the vital resistance is decreased, the individual's susceptibility to all acute infections-- including common colds-- is increased greatly, The commonly used narcotics, which exert a tendency toward diminishing the alkalinity of the blood, are alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee, as well as numerous patent medicines, headache powders, etc.
SKIN CHILLING AND DRAUGHTS.AMP OR COLD FEET.UPERHEATED ATMOSPHERE.NVENTILATED SLEEPING CHAMBERS.MPROPER CLOTHING.HE INFLUENZA BACILLUS AND OTHER
GERMS.
HAVING quite fully discussed the various predisposing causes of
colds, we may now briefly consider the exciting or immediate causes. They may be
considered under the following heads:
1. Skin-chilling or draughts. The ordinary healthy individual with a
vigorous, active skin, good digestion, and nervous strength, is able indefinitely to
withstand any ordinary draught. People with good blood and healthy blood-vessels will
not catch cold because the wind blows momentarily on the back of their necks or on any
other part of their body.
Those who catch cold from slight draughts
Nevertheless, while we recommend these skin-gymnastics for persons with poor circulation and lowered vitality, we would not advise anyone to engage in foolhardy efforts to harden themselves or otherwise to expose themselves unduly to chilling influences. It requires time to make these circulatory changes.
The author at present is wearing thin cotton or linen-mesh underwear throughout the
winter. Years ago he wore the heaviest woollen underwear. Several years were consumed in
making this change. We have known many cases of fatal pneumonia to result
It is time that the draught delusion should be driven from our midst.
Healthy people have nothing to fear from draughts. Weak and debilitated individuals who
suffer from them should avail themselves of such assistance as will enable them to
acquire sound digestion, active bowels, and healthy skins. And just in proportion ,as
one improves the general health and promotes the circulation of the blood, the tendency
to catch cold will certainly disappear, provided there exists no local source of
irritation in the nose or throat.
2. Damp or cold feet. Wet feet is one of the great exciting causes of
colds. Especially is this true in the case of young women. The nerves on the soles of
the feet are reflexly connected with certain internal organs, among which are the mucous
membrane of the nose, throat, and lungs.
Chilling the feet results in congesting the internal organs, while keeping the feet
warm and full of blood, as will be seen later, is a great
We have not yet improved on the advice of the old . French doctor who exhorted us: "Keep the feet warm, the head cool, and the bowels open."
We greatly deprecate the recent tendency to make light of wet feet,
chilling draughts, etc., as factors in the causation of colds. Some, in their
efforts to call attention to the important fact that colds are caused by germs, in their
worthy enthusiasm to expose the "draught fetich," in their endeavors to lead people to
quit coddling themselves, and in their laudable efforts to dispel the erroneous notions
and harmful superstitions of the past, have gone too far; they have gone so far as to
assert that wet feet and other exposure have nothing to do with catching cold. They
teach that draughts should be utterly ignored-- and so they should; but this cannot
safely be done before the body is prepared for the change. A
In the good work of proclaiming the more recently discovered microbic cause of colds, it is entirely unnecessary to ridicule or ignore the well-known fact that wet feet, exposure, etc., do act as predisposing causes and contributing factors in producing colds. The microbe is indeed the seed of the infection; but it requires soil as well as seed to produce a cold, and these various disturbances of circulation and metabolism are just the influences which work together for the production of suitable and favorable soil on which the ever-present cold-microbe begins its growth and its preparation for subsequent attacks upon the human body.
3. Superheated atmosphere. As a rule, it is not quickly going out
into the cold air that causes one to take cold; it is rather the over-heated indoor
atmosphere with its poisonous gases that has so weakened both the skin, and thee air
passages, that they are unable to
The temperature of living-rooms during the winter should range from 65 to 68 degrees F. If some of the members of the family are chilly at this temperature, let them put on wraps for a few days until they become used to it.
Recent experimental observations made in France, prove that the temperature of living-rooms is directly concerned in the question of atmospheric purity. Certain poisonous gases found in expired air are probably condensed and fall to the floor when the temperature is below 65 to 68 degrees F., whereas a higher temperature permits these subtle gases to remain in their vapory state, in which condition they are able to enter the lungs; and so they add greatly to the poisonous and deleterious influence of the atmosphere of all living-apartments which are not perfectly and ideally ventilated.
This newly discovered fact concerning the behavior of the poisonous gases of animal
To live in such an air-tight apartment in a tropical clime, or even with the temperature above 70 degrees F., would soon prove fatal; and these recent experiments serve to explain these interesting, and until now puzzling, observations.
Again, when the room temperature is raised much above 70 degrees, an unconscious
perspiration appears on the skin, the evaporation of which has a tendency to chill the
body. This chilly sensation persists until the temperature of the room reaches the
neighborhood of 80 degrees; but if the temperature be
4. Unventilated sleeping chambers. We are constantly meeting cases of
recurrent colds and chronic catarrh which must in some measure be chargeable to the
polluted air of the sleeping-room. One should accustom himself to having all the bedroom
windows wide open summer and winter. There is no reason for closing the bedroom windows
of healthy persons, except in very stormy or blustery weather; certainly not to exclude
the cold air. Thousands of people who are suffering from a succession of colds
throughout the winter would be largely relieved of this unfortunate state of affairs, by
throwing wide open the windows of the sleeping-room. Air poisoned by tobacco smoke and
other noxious and irritating gases directly predisposes to colds and sore throats.
5. Improper clothing. The constant presence of a cold in the head is
often due to the
The wearing of heavy woollen undergarments, especially by sedentary people and those
who work indoors, is sure to predispose to catching cold; for such practices debilitate
the in and greatly decrease its powers of
It is equally important to emphasize the fact that colds are favored by all attempts on the part of thin, emaciated, and chilly people to go to the other extreme in their too hasty efforts to harden themselves. Colds and pneumonia may result from wearing too little clothing, as well as from wearing too much. In all these matters, let us use exalted common sense!
6. The influenza bacillus and other germs. After all that may be said
respecting the predisposing and exciting causes of colds, it must be recognized that microbes are usually the real exciting cause. (See Fig. 2.
The lumbermen who work out of doors in the northern woods are seldom bothered with our common colds, unless some visitor with a cold chances to stray into the camp. Some colds of the influenzoid type are so virulent that they attack the average man on sight; they do not wait for the production of a favorable soil as a result of exposure. On the other hand, these out-door laborers of the northern forests not infrequently subject themselves to extraordinary and unusual exposure, and never suffer in the slightest degree from colds. Such exposure would be promptly followed by a bad cold in the head if the cold-germ were present. And so our study of colds goes more and more to show that two factors are concerned in the production of all ordinary colds: the seed, or the microbes; and the soil, or the state of the health, resulting from the predisposing influences to which the individual has been subjected.
Handkerchiefs which have been used by persons suffering from colds and influenza are
especially dangerous and should not carelessly be thrown about the house. The practice
And so, while we recognize certain microbes as the real exciting cause of practically all our colds, we must not overlook the fact that a group of predisposing and exciting causes almost invariably operate together to produce a favorable soil upon which these microbes may flourish., Certain abnormalities or diseased states of the nose and throat may furnish these microbes with. favorable soil.
While we must regard certain germs as the seed of the cold, we are compelled to look upon the various causes before enumerated, as constituting the soil; and, as in the case of all germ diseases, it is necessary not only that the seed should be present, but also that there be a favorable soil. And this explains exactly why the same germs produce colds or influenza in one individual and not in another. In one case, the soil is favorable, in the other it is unfavorable. One individual is promptly smitten; the other wholly escapes.
THE CARE OF THE NOSE.HE MOUTH AND THROAT.ENTILATION AND THE STATE OF THE ATMOSPHERE.HE PROPHYLACTIC THROAT GARGLE.HE DAILY COLD BATH.ALANCING THE
CIRCULATION.AILY
PHYSICAL EXERCISE.YGIENE OF THE BOWELS.HE QUESTION OF DIET.AITH, COURAGE, AND OPTIMISM.
PERSONS of sound constitution-- those who are really well-- seldom
take cold unless they expose themselves in an unusual manner or fall victims to certain
epidemic infections, such as those of the so-called influenzoid colds. In this
connection it is well to remind the reader that but few people among the civilized races
enjoy perfect physical health; and, therefore, all of us are more or less subject, from
time to time, to colds of varying severity.
The great difficulty about teaching people
In the preceding chapters we considered the causes of colds, both remote and immediate;
and it will now be in order to discuss the prevention of colds.
1. The care of the nose. Thousands of people are victims of chronic
or recurring colds because the nose is diseased. It may have a crooked septum, so that
one nostril is almost obliterated. The turbinate bones may be enlarged, or polypi may be
growing in the nostrils. Individuals suffering from any one or a number of these
abnormal conditions are doomed to suffer from frequent colds, if they are not already
victims of an annoying chronic nasal catarrh. (See Fig. 1.
There is little hope of securing relief from colds or hay-fever by practising the
constitutional regime later suggested, when the nose and throat are more or less
diseased.
Colds commonly begin in the nose. In the case of mouth-breathers, or those who suffer from a more or less chronic tonsilitis, colds frequently begin in the throat. Any abnormal or diseased conditions in the nose, especially in the case of young people and certain weakly and debilitated persons, are sure to prove a constant source of colds in the head, or sore-throat.
2. The mouth and throat. All persons with a weakened constitution,
all who are predisposed to catching cold, should exercise special care to keep the mouth
clean and free from bacteria. Such persons should faithfully use an antiseptic mouth
wash morning and evening. Cinnamon water, such as any druggist will be able to supply,
will serve as an efficient mouth wash. The teeth should also be regularly cleansed by
brushing thoroughly after each meal.
Many are troubled with chronic colds and catarrh, because they have adenoids growing in the roof of the throat. This is particularly
The throat must next receive attention. If there is chronic pharyngitis (sore-throat),
it should be treated before the approach of cold weather. If the tonsils are diseased,
they should be treated and, if possible, restored to a healthy state. If the patient has
suffered from repeated and severe attacks of tonsilitis; if the tonsils are so diseased
that they are useless to the body, they should be promptly removed. Such incurable
tonsils serve as a cause of constant colds, sore-throat, and tonsilitis; and they no
doubt also serve as an avenue of entrance to the body for certain infectious microbes
which are probably concerned in the
3. Ventilation and the state of the atmosphere. If you would avoid
colds, breathe fresh air; ventilate the work-rooms, the living-rooms, and the
sleeping-rooms. Dryness of the air tempts to over-heating of the living-rooms, for dry
air increases the evaporation of perspiration from the skin, thereby increasing the
sensation of chilliness. Dry air at 75 degrees will feel about as chilly as moist air at
65 degrees. Stoves, coils, and furnaces should always have open vessels of water exposed
to evaporation for the purpose of properly moistening the air. This moistening of the
air will prove a saving of both coal bills and doctors' bills.
In the effort to prevent colds, carefully avoid public buildings, theatres, and churches, which are not properly ventilated. The "air of aristocracy" in the palace, and the "odor of sanctity" in the church, are both due to polluted atmosphere-- lack of adequate ventilation; and they testify to the likely presence of a prolific crop of cold and other disease germs.
All churches, theatres, and schools ought to be regularly fumigated with formalin from once in two weeks to once in two months, according to length of occupancy and degree of ventilation.
4. The prophylactic throat gargle. Dryness of the nose or throat
often constitutes the first warning of an approaching cold. The secretions of the nose
and throat are naturally germicidal and tend to destroy and wash out all mischievous
germs and their toxins. But when, from any cause, the natural secretions of nose and
throat are altered or suppressed, the various germs capable of setting up irritation,
and which constantly find access to nose and throat through the air we breathe, are able
to find lodgment on the dry mucous
At the very first notice of dryness in nose or throat, the patient should snuff up the
nose some warm antiseptic solution and freely gargle with the same. In many cases a warm
salt solution will be sufficient to relieve the dryness and abort the infection.
Lukewarm water having a teaspoonful of salt to the pint will serve very well. Another
good solution for this purpose, recognized by the U. S. Pharmacopceia, and which can be
supplied by any druggist, is Dobell's Solution.
DOBELL'S SOLUTION
Mix and label: Use as mouth wash, nasal douche, and throat gargle.1 drachm1 drachm30 grains1 ounce2 pints
5. The daily cold bath. Of all practices calculated to prevent colds,
daily cold bathing is undoubtedly the best. Subjecting the skin to repeated applications
of cold water vascular gymnastics and greatly promotes the circulation of the blood through
the skin. In this way the skin is prepared to withstand sudden draughts and other
chilling influences resulting from unavoidable exposure to cold.
It is best to take these cold baths immediately upon rising, by means of the wet hand or a wet towel. While it is more healthful to sleep in a cold bedroom, it is desirable that these cold baths should be taken in a warm room. The ideal plan would be, while sleeping in a cold, well-ventilated bed-chamber, to have the bathroom warm, and immediately on arising, repair to the warm bathroom for taking the cold bath.
Vigorous persons, especially those who are accustomed to cold baths, will enjoy and be
greatly benefited by a cold plunge in the bath-tub filled with water; and for those who
desire to carry this skin training to its full limit, we would recommend salt glows. This procedure consists in taking about a pint of coarse barrel
salt, moistening it with cold water and thoroughly rubbing this wet salt on the skin
There is a certain class of people who take cold baths in the morning and enjoy them,
but who have headaches in the afternoon as a result, or else they feel sleepy and
experience chilly sensations playing up and down the spine. Those who are thus affected
by the cold bath, are usually more or less emaciated, nervous, dyspeptic, constipated,
etc. They need the reaction resulting from a cold bath, but they are unable to supply
the necessary nervous energy and animal heat to produce this reaction. Such persons
should not abandon the cold bath as a part of their war against recurrent colds, but
should precede it with a short hot bath. Take a very hot bath for two or three minutes,
following this with a cold plunge, shower, pour, or sponge bath. This preliminary hot
bath will greatly increase the power for good of any succeeding cold bath; nd in nearly
every case, it will do away with
6. Balancing the circulation. All victims of chronic colds should see
to it that the skin is kept warm both day and night. The ankles and feet should be
properly clothed. Under no circumstances should the extremities be allowed to go cold.
Until the circulation can be improved,, cold feet should be treated by means of the
alternating hot and cold foot bath. Get two basins of water, one as hot as can be borne
by the feet, the other as cold as you can get. Put the feet first in the hot water, then
in the cold, leaving them about two minutes in the hot and about thirty seconds in the
cold. Make the change fifteen or twenty times and .then after leaving them for one or
two minutes in the cold water, thoroughly rub and dry them. By persistent use of these
alternate hot and cold foot baths, many cases of habitually cold feet can be permanently
cured.
The ideal circulatory state is promoted by keeping the head cool and the feet warm. The lower extremities should be properly clothed. Many young women are suffering from chronic catarrh because of the unhealthful manner in which the lower extremities are clothed. Equalization of the general circulation is an important item in the battle against common colds.
7. Daily physical exercise. Daily exercise in the open air is a part
of the price which must be paid for a constitution strong enough to exist above the chronic cold line. Nothing else will take the place of exercise in the
fight against colds. Muscular exercise not only improves the circulation, it also aids
the digestion. Just as the sedentary life must be reckoned as one of the causes of
colds, physical exercise, sunshine, and pure air, play an important role in their
prevention and treatment. Physical exercise promotes the activity of the sweat glands
and very generally aids the process of eliminating numerous poisons by thus encouraging
the natural functions of the skin.
No exercise can be superior to brisk walking
8. Hygiene of the bowels. It seems highly probable that in chronic
constipation certain poisons are absorbed from the bowel tract, and circulate through
the body, irritating the mucous membranes of the nose, throat, and lungs, and
predisposing the victim to colds, catarrh, sore-throat, bronchitis, and even asthma.
It has long been known that clergyman's sore-throat was largely caused by sour stomach
and indigestion. It would seem that these bowel poisons further favor the taking of
colds, by their irritating effect upon the small blood-vessels of the skin, causing them
spasmodically to contract, driving the blood from the surface of the body into the
internal organs, thus causing the skin to be especially subject to
The victims of chronic colds, in the vast majority of cases, are found to be suffering
from pale skin. They are usually anaemic in appearance. Their pale
skins and their colds are due to one and the same cause, that is, autointoxication or
chronic self-poisoning, resulting from indigestion or constipation.
The hygiene of the bowel plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of acute colds and chronic catarrh. The author has seen numerous cases of catarrh, bronchitis, and even asthma, which had resisted every other effort at treatment, gradually disappear after indigestion and constipation had been either improved or removed. Every effort should be made to regulate the bowels without the use of drugs. The liberal and persistent use of fresh fruits and certain of the dried fruits, such as figs and prunes, together with green vegetables, will usually be found effective in overcoming ordinary cases of constipation.
9. The question of diet. A certain class of
There came a time, however, in the pursuance of certain dietetic investigations when he
decided to subsist upon the modern low-protein diet, that is, a diet
that largely excludes meats, cheese, and beans. This was many years ago, long before the
renowned work of Professor Chittenden of Yale University, who recently called attention
to the fact that the American people commonly consume from two to three times the amount
of protein required to keep the body in good health and good repair.
After subsisting for several months upon this low-protein diet, in connection with more
thorough mastication of the food, it was discovered that he suffered much less from
colds than
It is needless to say that this personal experience has been confirmed in the case of scores of patients. In fact, the low-protein diet with proper attention to the hygiene of the bowel, constitutes a part of his regular regime in the treatment of recurrent colds and chronic nasal catarrh.
In this connection it may be well to remind the reader that when protein is eaten in
excess, the unused portion cannot be stored in the body, nor can it be promptly and
harmlessly eliminated as in the case of excess of starch, sugar, and fat. The end
products of the digestion and splitting up of protein are acid
Conditions of the blood bordering on acidaemia, that is, the presence of certain acid-like products of indigestion and metabolism in the blood, seem to predispose many individuals to taking cold; at least there are vast numbers of people who do not seem to be able to rise above the zone of chronic colds, until their system is rid of these irritating poisons.
It should be remembered that while deficient elimination of the natural wastes of the body tends to increase these acid poisons in the circulation, the larger portion of such irritating substances is derived from the excess of protein taken into the body with the daily food. It would,, therefore, be advisable for sufferers from chronic colds to eat less meat and take more of the fresh fruits, cereals, vegetables, etc. Tea and coffee might also profitably be restricted.
The following table includes the majority of the high-protein foods, at least those in
which
Certain strong individuals with a vigorous circulation, are able to ignore with
impunity practically all these suggestions, and yet live comparatively free from colds.
They can do this for the same reason that others can drink immoderately, smoke, or
indulge in other violations of natural laws, suffering no apparent serious consequences.
But we are interested in helping that vast army of men and women who are trying to live
above these health-destroying habits; who are struggling to gain the highlands of
health, and who are fighting
10. Faith, courage, and optimism. The mental attitude, because of its
influence on digestion and the circulation, is greatly concerned in the cause and
prevention of colds. Men of courage and women of faith are not, other things being
equal, so predisposed to colds and other infectious ailments as are the downcast and
despondent victims of fear and grief. Optimism is of real value in the battle against
chronic colds.
The successful man, the one who lives the triumphant life, the man of victory, as a
rule, is comparatively free from colds and numerous other little annoyances which so
frequently attack the downhearted and downcast. Nevertheless, when all is said and done,
that person is a rare curiosity who can for many years escape falling a victim to some
cold of more or less severity. But it does lie within our
PROMPTLY EMPTY THE BOWELS.RING THE BLOOD TO THE SKIN.RINK HOT LIQUIDS, AND SWEAT.HE DIET FOR COLDS.RESH AIR, BETTER COLD.HE QUESTION OF
EXERCISE.BOUT SUMMER
COLDS.
IN considering the treatment of common colds, it will probably be
best first to take up certain general procedures which are appropriate for all classes
and stages of this annoying complaint. There is no sure cure or royal remedy for colds.
After these general considerations, we will take up the treatment a cold in its three
different stages. No greater mistake can be made than to treat colds with the
conventional indifference. The physician of to-day does not advise his patients as did a
certain old-time practitioner, who, when asked how he would treat a cold,
1. Promptly empty the bowels. From the previous discussions
respecting the cause and prevention of colds, it must be evident that constipation and
overloading of the bowel is associated frequently with colds and other acute diseases.
The task of clearing out the intestinal tract consists of two distinct procedures.
At once take an active cathartic, such as a large dose of epsom salts (one or two
table-spoonfuls, according to the individual's susceptibility), or, in the case of
children give two doses of castor-oil about one hour apart. But even the action of a
vigorous cathartic should not be depended upon entirely; in addition, the colon or lower
bowel should be thoroughly washed out with warm soap-suds enemas. Castile soap or even
common toilet soap will suffice for this purpose. These enemas may be given at a
temperature varying from 100 to 104 degrees F. Each enema should consist of one to two
quarts of water. The fountain syringe containing the water may
The important thing about cleansing the bowel when one is coming down with a cold is to wash it out thoroughly, repeating these large, warm, soap-suds enemas two or three times or even more if necessary, until the water of the last enema returns from the bowel comparatively clear and free from fecal matter.
In order to dissolve and properly remove matter from the intestinal tract, hot water is
required, but it should be remembered that this hot water always weakens the intestines
and predisposes to constipation. This is why people who regularly depend upon the enema
to empty the bowel soon acquire the enema habit. How can this be
avoided? Very easily: by simply allowing a pint or a pint and a half of cool water (75
to 85 degrees F.) to enter the
2. Bring the blood to the skin. The blood-vessels of the skin are
able to hold from one-third to one-half of all the blood in the body. In the first stage
of a cold, the skin is usually pale, rough, and cold. The hands and feet are usually
cold. Chilly sensations play up and down the spine. The next important step in the
general management of all colds, is to induce the blood to return to the skin. The
patient must be kept warm, but this should not be done at the expense of fresh air, or
by overheating the atmosphere of the room. It should be done by putting on extra
clothing, or by going to bed with a hot water bottle after the bowels have been
thoroughly cleansed.
For the purpose of heating up the skin, a vapor bath may be taken, such as can be had
in
But in the absence of any or all of these appliances, an ordinary hot tub-bath may be
taken, with cold cloths on the head; or the patient may be wrapped up in a blanket wrung
out of boiling water, with two or three dry blankets wrapped about the outside, and all
these surrounded by hot water bottles or glass jars filled with hot water. This hot-blanket pack makes almost an ideal sweating procedure, after which
the patient should be thoroughly rubbed with cold water or ice-water and sent to bed. In
giving this cold-water rub, only a small portion of the body, such as one arm, should be
exposed at a time. Don't forget that this cold ending is an essential
feature of all these hot sweating-baths.
3. Drink hot liquids, and sweat. When taking a cold, drink abundance
of hot water or hot lemonade. Put the feet in very hot
In case of all colds, cut down the solid foods and increase the liquids. The patient, as a rule, will not relish much water, but will readily take vast quantities of hot or cold lemonade.
In giving any form of sweating-bath, care should be exercised to see that the bowels are thoroughly cleaned out before an effort is made to sweat the patient. Plenty of drinking water should also be supplied before and during the sweat. Don't forget to keep the patient's head properly protected by generous cheesecloth compresses or by a linen towel wrung out of ice-water; and it is a good plan not only to place this cooling compress over the forehead and on top of the head, but also to see that it is wrapped around the neck.
In giving the finishing cold treatment which must invariably follow all sweat baths
designed to break up a cold, the patient may be
4. The diet for colds. The old adage, which said, "Starve a fever and
stuff a cold," is like many other of the old, time-honored sayings-- it is utterly
false. The truth of the matter is, that a cold is essentially a fever. It frequently is
accompanied by an actual rise of temperature. A cold is almost invariably caused by
infection. When it does not produce a fever, it is because the body is able successfully
to cope with the invading microbes, or because the disease is light and local.
Nature, as a rule, completely takes away
When one is suffering from a cold, the digestive organs are in no condition to care for food. The digestive juices are altered, or entirely absent. One or two days' comparative fast will often assist in averting a severe siege of cold. A more convenient and enjoyable form of fasting would be to subsist for one or two days upon fruit or fruit juices, perhaps with the addition of a little toast. An exclusive fruit diet has all the practical advantages of complete fasting, while it satisfies the appetite and supplies fruit sugar, from which the liver can manufacture glycogen to sustain the white blood corpuscles in their continuous warfare against microbes.
When one fasts for a day or two the system undergoes a spring housecleaning. Food is
the fuel of the body, and when it is temporarily withheld, nature begins to skirmish
around and burn up a lot of refuse and garbage which
The advantages of a fruit diet in connection with colds may briefly be stated as follows:
a. Fresh, unsweetened fruit juices require no digestion; they are all
ready for immediate absorption and assimilation; they have been fully and perfectly
digested in nature's own laboratory by the powerful rays of sunlight; and since the
digestive apparatus is always wholly or partially deranged during an attack of cold, it
is evident that fruit and fruit juices constitute an ideal food for the victims of
colds.
b. Colds frequently result from overeating of protein. Fruits contain
practically no protein, and are accordingly a perfectly desirable and safe food in that
respect.
c. Fasting is altogether desirable in the early stages of a cold, but
for a single fact-- that is, fasting soon reduces the supply of glycogen (stored sugar)
in the liver. Now, this
d. Lemonade and fruit juices encourage the taking of a large amount
of liquids and that is altogether desirable in the case of all who are taking a
cold.
The fruit juices also increase the alkalinity of the blood, thereby greatly encouraging the activity of the white blood cells and lessening the tendency to succumb to infection.
5. Fresh air-- better cold. In the first stage of a cold, especially
if the lungs are threatened, follow the preliminary treatment of skin and bowels, by
putting the patient to bed with a hot bag to the feet; comfortably, cover him, and throw
the windows wide open.
6. The question of exercise. Some hearty individuals when threatened
with a cold, are able to abort it by taking a long walk in the open air. This is a good
idea, provided there is no fever, and the cold is taken early. In the case of weakened
or only moderately strong persons, and where the cold has had a good start, it would
certainly be unwise to attempt to break it up by such heroic measures.
In all these matters, common sense must be used. Debilitated patients must not presume
to employ unreasonable measures in their efforts to break up a cold. Heroic procedures
may prove successful when employed by
There is just as much danger of catching cold in the summer as in the winter. In some respects, more. The only reason we suffer more from colds in the winter, is that we live indoors more, and hence breathe more foul air. This probably explains why we have more colds in the spring of the year. We are more likely to catch cold because we have been more or less shut up indoors all winter., The ideal conditions for catching cold are found on a cool summer's evening, when the body is tired, the vitality is pretty well used up, and the skin and underclothing are slightly moist from perspiration. These are just the conditions for producing a disturbance of the circulation. Especially is it dangerous to ride in carriages or open cars on cool evenings without wraps.
Should you find any portion of the body becoming chilled, such as the back of the
neck,
Summer sore-throat may be aggravated by taking large quantities of ice-water or ices, when the body is overheated or when the throat is congested from public speaking or singing. One should be particularly careful about lying down on the porch in the cool of the evening without suitable covering for the body. In general, a summer cold should be treated along the same lines as a winter cold.
TREATMENT OF THE FIRST STAGE OF A COLD.IL THE NOSTRILS.ASAL DOUCHING AND THROAT-GARGLING.ASSAGE TO NOSE AND
FACE.HE HEATING
COMPRESS CAP.EATING
COMPRESS TO THE THROAT.HE HOT FOOT BATH AND HOT DRINKS.
TREATMENT OF THE SECOND STAGE OF A COLD.HE HOT BLANKET PACK.HE COLD MITTEN FRICTION.IGHT FRUIT DIET.EEP THE SKIN ACTIVE.EST IN BED.OCAL APPLICATIONS TO THE NOSTRILS.
TREATMENT OF THE THIRD STAGE OF A COLD.ONTINUE GENERAL TREATMENT OF SECOND
STAGE.OT FOMENTATIONS
AND COLD MITTEN FRICTION TO THE CHEST.HE HOT HIP AND LEG PACK.HE CHEST PACK.
THE ordinary complaint which we commonly regard as a cold, in the
majority of cases, runs a more or less definite course, passing through three distinct stages. The
The three stages of a cold are as follows:
>The first stage of a cold may be called the dry or anœmic stage. It is usually ushered in by a slight tickling sensation in the
throat, or a dry state of the mucous membrane of the nose. One sometimes wakes up in
the middle of the night with this dry condition of the nose and throat. Prompt
treatment at this stage will often prevent further progress of the infection and
successfully abort the cold. The roper method of dealing with this, the first stage of
a cold, is as follows:
1. Oil the nostrils. The moment this dryness
There are numerous satisfactory atomizers on the market, which can be used by those
who suffer from frequent colds and who observe that such attacks are usually ushered
in by dryness of the nose and throat. A very useful compound for use in the atomizer
is the following oily spray:
Dissolve and mix. Use in atomizer.20 drops10 grains2 ounces
The reason this nasal dryness is experienced more in the autumn is due to the fact
that winter air contains less moisture than the summer atmosphere; it, therefore,
increases
2. Nasal douching and throat gargling. If simple oiling of the
nostrils does not remedy the dryness of the nose, and if the throat is also affected,
nasal douching by means of the old-fashioned method of snuffing warm salt water up the
nose or by using the common little glass douche cylinder-- allowing the water to enter
one nostril and escape by the other-- will be found valuable in connection with
gargling with salt and water or Dobell's solution. (For formula, see page 57.
It may be well to explain more fully just how to use the nasal douche cylinder, an
illustration of which is shown in Fig. 5.
Having filled the douche cylinder with the In using the nasal douche the mouth should always
be kept open. If the fluid does not flow freely from the douche, slightly
withdraw the nozzle from the nostril and all will be well.
One of the best preparations for nasal
Dissolve and mix. Use frequently as wash and throat gargle.1/2 drachm1/2 drachm1 grain2/3 drop1/3 grain8 ounces.
Now, if the cold should prove to be the first stage of whooping-cough or any other contagious malady, this nose cleansing and throat gargling is just the very treatment to lessen the severity and to prevent undesirable complications. Of course, when the germs of colds or other infections have been allowed to develop unhindered for some time-- when they have already got in their deadly work-- it is well-nigh useless to attempt to thwart them by the mere use of douches and gargles. Other and more general curative measures must be promptly adopted.
3. Massage to nose and face. Vigorous rubbing of the nose and face
for fifteen or
4. The heating compress cap. Colds in the head may be frequently
stopped by the following simple procedure, which requires nothing more than cold water
and an ordinary rubber bath cap, such as ladies wear to prevent th hair getting wet
while in bathing. (See Fig 8.
5. Heating compress to the throat. It will be best to describe this
throat compress in sections, so that the reader may thoroughly understand how to
prepare and apply the same. (See Fig. 9.
a. Take a piece of linen cloth, one or two thicknesses-- or
cheesecloth four or five
b. Over this piece of wet cloth wrapped around the neck, wrap a
piece of mackintosh or oiled silk, the same in length and about a quarter of an inch
wider, to make sure that the edges of the wet cloth underneath it are fully covered.
(See Fig. 9, b.
c. The third layer, or outside covering, should consist of one or
two thicknesses of flannel about four inches wide, to be wrapped snugly around the
neck and carefully pinned on with safety pins, so as to prevent evaporation of any of
the moisture from the wet cloth
This constitutes the best-known local and external treatment for incipient
sore-throat, colds, pharyngitis, tonsilitis, etc., together with hoarseness and
tickling of the throat. This compress should be put on at night, and when it is taken
off in the morning, the throat and the back of the neck should be thoroughly rubbed,
either with ice or ice-cold water and a rough towel, for about five minutes, and then
carefully dried. Do not forget this application of cold when the compress
is removed in the morning; it is absolutely necessary to prevent chilling of
the throat during the day. If desired, a single thickness of dry flannel or a silk
handkerchief may be worn about the neck during the day.
6. The hot foot bath and hot drinks. As an aid in equalizing the
circulation, the hot foot bath, previously mentioned, is of great value
The second stage of a cold represents the hyperemic, moist, or
congestive stage. In contrast with the dryness of the nose and throat during
the first stage, this stage is characterized by a moisture and a great increase of
secretions from the mucous membrane. The nose is running, and the amount of mucus one
pair of nostrils can secrete in an hour's time during this stage of an active cold is
indeed phenomenal. If the disease has progressed to this stage, more vigorous and
constitutional measures are required to combat it. In general, colds at this stage may
be handled as follows:
1. The hot-blanket pack. (See Fig. 11.
2. The cold-mitten friction. (See Fig. 12.cold-mitten friction, after which the patient is
put to bed. The following is the proper method of giving the cold-mitten friction,
which is one of the most valuable means of promoting skin-circulation. Make a
loose-fitting mitt for the hand out of mohair cloth or Turkish towelling or any other
rough fabric. Have two or three quarts of ice-water in a vessel by the side of the
bed. Have the patient bring one arm out of the hot-blanket pack, and, after placing
towels about the bed covering so as to avoid wetting the same, take the patient's hand
in your left hand and with the mitt on your right hand, dip it into the ice-water,
squeeze out some of
The whole body is gone over after this fashion, taking next the other arm, then the chest, the back, and then the legs, one at a time. This treatment is of great service in fighting colds, even without a long sweat before it; but it is usually best to administer first some sort of hot bath, to bring the blood to the skin, before giving this cold treatment.
3. Light fruit diet. During this stage of the cold, the diet should
largely be limited to liquids, to fruits, or simple foods, such as toast. For a few
days it will be well to avoid meat, milk, and eggs, as well as other nitrogenous
foods, such as beans and cheese. Let the patient have all the oranges and fruits
desired. The reader is referred to the discussion of diet in relation to the
prevention of
4. Keep the skin active. At all hazards, the blood must be kept
circulating in the skin, or we shall be compelled to face the dangers of the third
stage of the cold-- the congestion and inflammation of some internal organ. If the
skin is rough and harsh, rub daily with cocoa butter or olive oil. The skin must be
kept warm and active and this will be greatly aided by supplying the body with an
abundance of liquids so as to encourage the normal action of the sweat glands.
Of course, such methods as nasal douching, gargling, and fresh air, as recommended for the treatment of the first stage of the cold, are all to be used as indicated, in the treatment of this, the second. stage.
5. Rest in bed. When a cold has progressed thus far, it is usually
unwise to undertake to wear it out, and it is hardly possible that it can be
successfully broken up. It is far better to go to bed for a few days and give the
system a fair chance to fight the enemy. It
When the system is flooded with the toxins of cold or influenza germs, both the nervous system and the heart. are placed under an extraordinary strain; and nervous disorders later in life, as well as heart failure, have no doubt had their foundations laid when their victims went on about their work, refusing to take time for rest, when suffering from a "bad cold" or a "little touch of the grippe." Both time and money are saved by a little judicious rest at such times. A few days' rest in bed may avert serious and painful complications later in life.
6. Local applications to the nostril. As a rule, sufferers from
colds are more at ease if the atmosphere can be kept slightly moist. Steam inhalation
is very acceptable as a rule. One should be careful not to wash out the nose with
cleansing solutions when there are great swelling and severe infection-- it might
result in infecting the ears. There is great danger from carelessly snuffing salt
water up the nose during this stage of a cold. Under
Mix, and label: Use in atomizer as nasal spray.20 grains20 grains2 ounces.
Avoid using patent nostrums for cough medicines. Use the will-power in controlling dry, hacking, unproductive coughs. An excellent cough-reliever is obtained by inhaling the fumes of a steaming dish of water in which one-half teaspoonful of compound tincture of benzoin has been dissolved.
When the throat is unusually sore, it may be painted or swabbed with a ten-per-cent solution of argyrol. Don't fail to have a competent physician examine all cases of sore-throat-- especially in children-- to make sure that the case is not one of diphtheria.
Ordinary colds which have been allowed to progress usually continue to the point where the air spaces in the head or some internal organ are more or less affected. As a result of the blood leaving the skin, the internal organs of the body are more or less congested. It may be the throat, the lungs, the ear, or some of the air spaces in the skull (giving rise to chronic colds in the head), or it may be some organ not connected with the respiratory tract, such as the intestines or the kidneys. It is quite a common experience for young boys to have diarrhœa following their first attempt to go bare-footed in the spring. This is due to getting the feet and legs chilled and causing a congestion of the abdominal viscera.
The treatment of the third stage of a cold becomes far more important and serious
than the treatment of the two preceding stages. We seriously doubt the wisdom of
anyone undertaking to treat this stage of a cold without
1. Continue the general treatment suggested for the second stage.
In the third stage of colds, it is equally important to keep the blood circulating in
the skin, to keep the bowels open, to give the same hot and cold treatment to the
skin, to supply the body with an abundance of liquids, to keep up the light diet, and
more particularly, to supply an abundance of fresh air and enforce absolute physical
quiet.
The third stage of a cold usually involves the lungs, and is manifested by coughing, soreness in the chest, deranged breathing; it may vary in severity from a mild bronchitis to a typical pneumonia.
2. Hot fomentations and cold-mitten friction to the chest. In these cases of mild "cold on the lungs," it will
be well to treat the chest both front and back by applying hot flannel cloths, wrung
out of boiling-hot water, to the skin. These cloths should be about the size of a
fourth of a single blanket, and wrung from boiling-hot water. These flannels should be
thoroughly wrung out. A dry flannel cloth should be laid over the chest, the hot wet
cloth being placed upon this, and the whole covered with another dry flannel cloth.
For a fomentation to be effective it should be quite disagreeably hot. Just as soon as
it feels warm and comfortable it should be changed and a new hot cloth applied. After
three or four of these hot applications, the chest should be vigorously rubbed with
cold or ice-water, as before described, under the head of the "cold-mitten friction."
(See page 95.
4. The hot hip-and-leg pack. This treatment
5. The chest pack. At night before the patient retires, if the
lungs are "tight," the chest pack may be applied as follows: (See Fig. 13.
a. Take two ordinary towels, wet them in ice-water and wring until
quite thoroughly dry. Place one over each shoulder, allowing it to come down
diagonally across the chest
b. Have in readiness for this time, a jacket made of oil silk or
mackintosh cloth, or some other waterproof material like ordinary table oil-cloth--
which can be quickly pinned over the patient's chest, front and back, coming well up
over the shoulders, so that the entire chest is thoroughly covered, making a snug fit
around the neck and both arms. (See Fig. 13, b.
The wearing of this chest pack during the night will often serve to loosen up a bad
cold on the lungs, and two or three nights will suffice to cure some of the worst of
colds which have settled on the lungs. On taking this chest pack off in the morning,
the chest and back should be rubbed thoroughly with ice-water and very
carefully dried. This is important and under no circumstances must it be
neglected. A thin extra shirt may be worn during the day, and it is well to anoint the
chest with cocoa butter or a little vaseline.
The further treatment of the third stage of a cold entirely depends upon its seriousness and persistency, and detailed directions cannot be fully or safely given here, as the treatment of serious inflammations of the lungs and other internal organs following severe colds, is of serious importance. They are matters belonging entirely to the attending physician.
WHAT ARE ADENOIDS?HE CAUSES OF ADENOIDS.YMPTOMS OF ADENOIDS.BJECTIVE SYMPTOMS OF ADENOIDS.UBJECTIVE SYMPTOMS OF ADENOIDS.HE REMOVAL OF ADENOIDS.HE TONSILS; TONSILITIS.
WE have previously considered adenoids as one of the predisposing
causes of frequent and recurrent colds, but adenoids and also the tonsils, especially in
the case of children, are deserving of more than passing notice.
It is entirely appropriate to study adenoids in connection with the tonsils and
tonsilitis, for, in reality, adenoids are but a hypertrophy or enlargement of a
certain small tonsilar body or lymph gland, known as the pharyngeal
tonsil. This little body, for it is indeed quite
The purpose of this little tonsil in the roof of the throat is practically unknown to medical science. In fact, the function of even the larger tonsils in the throat still remains more or less of a physiological mystery. All this tonsilar tissue can be taken out of the throat without producing the least discoverable effect on the health of the patient.
When this little pharyngeal tonsil is irritated or inflamed, its peculiar structure permits it to enlarge and extend until it may completely fill the vault of the throat, and so effectively stop up both nostrils as to render it impossible for any air to find its way through the nose to the lungs. This condition of affairs compels its victims to develop into mouth-breathers.
The very location of adenoids at once
In early infancy, the pharyngeal tonsil, from which adenoids always develop, is a very tiny and insignificant structure, composed of tonsilar or lymph tissue. It is found to obey the general laws of lymph tissue; and one of the peculiarities of this particular tissue, especially in the case of children, is that the presence of germs or bacterial toxins invariably produces hypertrophy; enlargement-- enormous overgrowth.
Adenoids may make their appearance at any age. They are commonly observed in children
from five to fourteen years of age, but in many instances they make their appearance
in the first or second year of life; even children but,
It is highly probable that the pharyngeal tonsil may be first irritated and thus started on its career of mischief-making, by the severe throat irritations and infections which almost invariably accompany the various diseases of childhood. The throat is usually severely inflamed in scarlet-fever, measles, diphtheria, etc., and it is not unlikely that these diseases prove the starting-point for adenoids; at least in many cases this is undoubtedly the real exciting cause of this troublesome disorder.
In other cases it is probable that adenoids make their appearance following several
severe and persistent attacks of the "snuffles"-- neglected colds; and so while
adenoids often may
While adenoids are not hereditary, they often appear to be a family characteristic, and it is quite likely that certain characteristic features running through one family for successive generations owe their facial peculiarities to the early development of adenoids, which in turn, are responsible for certain characteristic formations of the nose, face, etc. Climate plays but a small part in the causation of adenoids. It seems to be largely a question of the general health of the child and certain local irritations and inflammations of the nose and throat.
It is important that parents, guardians, and teachers, as well as physicians and nurses, should be well informed concerning the symptoms of adenoids, that they may be early detected and promptly removed, before permanent injury has been done to the features, mind, and health of the child. The symptoms of adenoids may be divided into two great classes: the objective symptoms, that is, signs which the parent or physician can observe in the child; and the subjective symptoms, that is, the manifestation of the disease which the child himself experiences.
1. Objective symptoms of adenoids. First and foremost, adenoid
children are mouth-breathers. The mouth is constantly open to some degree, and it is
of little use everlastingly to admonish these children to stop breathing through their
mouths. A healthy child will never breathe through his mouth, unless the nose is or
has been stopped up. And so mouth-breathing is the chief and characteristic evidence
of adenoids.
The facial expression is characteristic. The child exhibits more or less a vacant stare, a listless look in the eyes. Because of the under-development of the upper jaw, the upper lip is usually thick and short, while the under jaw, being larger in proportion, protrudes somewhat outward.
The adenoid child is usually regarded as stupid. This mental stupidity and inattention to its surroundings probably results from a dulling of the hearing; and the hearing has been injured by the extension of catarrhal inflammation from the adenoids lying about the mouth of the Eustachian tube down through the tube to the ear. The Eustachian tube presents a direct channel of communication between the throat and the ear, its purpose being to equalize air pressure in the ear. Its presence is indicated by the feeling of escaping air in the ear when one makes a quick elevator trip from the top to the bottom of a high office building.
These children are always under-sized, pigeon-breasted, several inches short for
their ages, and five to ten pounds under the average
They soon develop high-arched palates, and narrow-pointed noses. These deformities are due to the fact that nature makes no effort to preserve useless structures. Accordingly, when the adenoids stop up the nostrils, and the nose ceases to functionate as a breathing organ, nature proceeds to enlarge the mouth upward, encroaching, more or less, upon the nose; and this change in development not only accounts for the peculiar, narrow face of the adenoid victim, but also accounts for the crowding of the teeth and production of the prominent and irregular appearance of the teeth, together with the pinched and contracted nostrils.
The voice is muffled, the resonance diminished. The tone is dull and dead. The breath is fetid and disagreeable, resulting directly from the festering mass of adenoids in the throat, and indirectly from the stomach disorders which always accompany this deplorable state of affairs.
These children are slow to respond to commands, and dull in following directions, not only because of the stunted mental growth, but also from the fact that they are usually hard of hearing, and their perception has become more or less dulled because of this.
In a child possessing the symptoms of the foregoing picture (see Fig. i4.
2. The subjective symptoms of adenoids. The symptom which the child
himself first experiences is a loss of appetite. He complains of a bad taste in his
mouth, the sense of smell is considerably impaired, he loses more or less of his
relish for his former favorite dishes, and becomes subject to numerous and frequent
attacks of biliousness and stomach trouble, followed by marked distention of the
abdomen.
The child soon presents evidence of a chronic nasal catarrh, and if old enough,
complains of constant dripping of mucus down into the throat; and, if above five or
six years of age, is found constantly hawking and spitting to
The child soon begins to lose all interest in both work and play, and only with difficulty can, the attention be concentrated on any one thing. He seems to have lost his powers of concentration. He is extremely restless through the day, fretful and peevish, and manifests a tendency to go from one thing to another. At night he is exceedingly restless, rolling and tossing about in bed and constantly throwing off the covers. He is frequently disturbed by night terrors, and in many cases, these children when young, are victims of nocturnal enuresis-- wetting the bed at night.
Direct infection of the ear-- manifested by frequent attacks of earache-- makes its
appearance, and the entire mental development of
Attention has been called to the fact that adenoids are located directly over the mouth of a minute canal which leads from the roof of the throat up to the pituitary body at the base of the brain; and it has been suggested that many of the marked effects of adenoids upon the mind are produced by the influence of the poisons which may pass up through this canal to the brain.
It is a well-known fact that this little pituitary body exerts a very profound
influence upon the physical development, and it may also be discovered that it
directly influences mental development. Enlargement of the pituitary body produces the
well-known disease, giantism, and it is also responsible for another form of overgrowth
affecting certain parts of the body, and known scientifically as acromegaly. It has long been known that diminution of the pituitary body
resulted in producing dwarfs. This little body also secretes substances which exert a
very direct influence in raising and lowering the blood pressure.
It is nothing more or less than criminal for parents and guardians knowingly to allow children to go along harboring these dangerous adenoids when a simple operation of but a few moments' duration will result in their complete eradication. We are aware that even some physicians have taught that if adenoids were not very bad, they could be left alone and that they would dry up or go away at puberty. But this is now known to be a false doctrine, Adenoids are not especially prone to go away at puberty. They may persist indefinitely; besides, when they are allowed to remain for several years, they result in producing permanent deformity of the face, jaws, etc.
Again, the fact must not be overlooked that adenoids are responsible for by far the majority of earaches, as well as the majority of the colds which appear in children suffering from these diseased growths. It must not be forgotten that more than two-thirds of all children having adenoids, have their Eustachian tubes involved, and, as a consequence, the ears are more or less diseased.
When the tonsils are enlarged, adenoids are nearly always present; but it does not follow that when adenoids are present the tonsils are always enlarged. The tonsils are enlarged in only about one-third of the cases having adenoids.
The operation for the removal of adenoids is such a slight affair, especially in young children, that its performance should never be postponed for a single week when the presence of these growths is detected. When adenoids are suspected, the child should immediately be examined by a competent physician, that the facts may be ascertained.
There is no operation in modern surgery, not excepting its most skilful procedures,
which
The larger tonsils on the sides of the throat, as far as our present knowledge goes,
are just about as useless as the small tonsil in the roof of the throat, which is
primarily responsible for the development of adenoids. When healthy, the tonsils may
serve as a barrier to the entrance of germs into the system from the throat; when the
tonsils have once become diseased, when they have passed through several attacks of
inflammation, they become more or less permanently enlarged, and if they ever
possessed a useful function, it is entirely lost. Such diseased tonsils are hotbeds
for the development of microbes, and are a great menace to the health of both children
and adults, and no time should be lost in bringing about their complete removal. (See
Fig. 1.
As previously suggested, merely clipping off enlarged portions of the tonsil, will
not suffice; the entire tonsil with its capsule must be
There can be little doubt that many cases of rheumatism, rheumatic fever, and even serious heart-disease in the case of young boys and girls, owe their origin to diseased tonsils. It is highly probable that the healthy tonsil, would be but little larger than a pea or, at most, a Lima bean; so it is evident that practically all cases of enlarged tonsils we see in children, youths, and adults, are more or less diseased and permanently hypertrophied. We cannot but believe that if some of the energy that has been spent in taking out the appendix had been devoted to taking out tonsils and adenoids, the race would have profited equally.
Diseased and enlarged tonsils, then, must be put in the same category with adenoids.
They can only work mischief, and therefore should be promptly and completely removed.
To retain them can only mean frequent colds, sore-throats, and possible attacks of
rheumatism;
THE CAUSE OF INFLUENZA.PIDEMIC INFLUENZA.NDEMIC-EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA.NDEMIC INFLUENZA.HE SYMPTOMS OF INFLUENZA.HE DIAGNOSIS OF INFLUENZA.OMPARATIVE SYMPTOMS OF INFLUENZA AND COLDS.HE TREATMENT OF INFLUENZA.ENERAL TREATMENT.AIN IN THE BACK AND IN THE
LEGS.IGH
FEVER.EVERE
HEADACHES.OW TO COMBAT
PNEUMONIA.HE USE OF
DRUGS.ONVALESCENCE.
WHILE common colds are undoubtedly frequently caused by the Pfeiffer
bacillus (the microbe of influenza), nevertheless, la grippe, as an
epidemic disease, must always stand out separate and apart from colds. It is by far a
more serious illness than the common household cold.
Influenza is an acute infectious disease accompanied by more or less fever. It spreads
with extraordinary rapidity from town to town,
In 1892, Pfeiffer discovered the bacillus which is now recognized as the cause of this epidemic disease. The germ is found both at the point of attack, as in the throat or lungs, and also in the blood. Unlike most other contagious diseases, influenza does not confer immunity upon its victims; that is, one attack of the disease does not render one unlikely to have a second attack; and in this way, influenza differs from scarlet-fever, measles, and numerous other contagious diseases.
Three distinct forms of influenza are now generally recognized. They are:
1. Epidemic influenza. This is the disease in
2. Endemic-epidemic influenza. This is the form of the disease
appearing for several years following the great world epidemics, and is a genuine
influenza, although, as a rule, it is not quite so severe, and is not followed with
such a large percentage of fatalities.
3. Endemic influenza, or so-called catarrhal
fever. This is the milder form of disease, which, while it is caused by the
Pfeiffer bacillus, is not nearly so severe as the preceding forms. It represents the
disease which, when it is too severe to pass for a common cold, is usually
As a general rule, influenza proves to be an inflammatory disease of the nose, throat, and lungs; but not infrequently the poisons of these germs seem to localize in other parts of the body, giving rise to an entirely different type of the disease. As the respiratory type of the disease is by far the more common, we will give chief attention to the symptoms of that form.
Influenza usually makes its appearance about three or four days after one is exposed to the, germs. As a rule, the first symptom is a sudden chill, accompanied by profound physical weakness-- prostration. In the typical cases, where the nose, throat, and lungs are chiefly affected, there appears a profuse watery discharge from the nose. The dry stage of the nose and throat, comparable to the dry stage which precedes the moist or running stage in common colds, is usually very brief and sometimes unobserved in influenza.
Severe pain soon appears just back of the
The lungs are more or less affected, the patient begins to cough, and the sputum
which is coughed up is of a characteristic greenish-yellow color and more or less
lumpy. La grippe frequently runs into pneumonia, and these influenza
pneumonias are exceedingly fatal.
The nervous symptoms of influenza, in addition to the pain already described and the profound and extraordinary prostration, may extend to the point of producing delirium; and in one form of the disease there may result an actual meningitis.
In rare cases, the poisons of the germs seem more to affect the bowels; in which cases there is nausea, vomiting, colic, diarrhoea, or even jaundice.
Influenza is the great disease of dangerous complications. While it spares the most
of its
Some victims of the grippe never fully recover the health of the lungs. They linger on for years with more or less of a chronic bronchitis, and eventually develop tuberculosis. In others the heart seems to be permanently affected. They live for years with weak hearts, and finally die of heart failure. Thousands die annually of influenza-pneumonia, pleurisy, etc. In other cases the disease is followed by severe diseases of the eyes and ears, while a not uncommon complication is nephritis or inflammation of the kidneys.
Bad as are our common colds, and their consequences when neglected, influenza is by
far worse. Under no circumstances should the layman ever assume the great
responsibility of treating influenza. The best of medical assistance should be secured
to assist in combating
Another reason for summoning prompt medical assistance in influenza is to make sure that the disease is properly diagnosed and not confused with cerebro-spinal meningitis; for in the early stages one form of the grippe is almost identical in its symptoms and general manifestations with the early stages of meningitis.
It is popularly supposed that there is very little to be done for the grippe; one
must just go to bed and suffer; stick it out, and let the
1. General treatment. Put the patient to bed and keep him there
until the doctor authorizes him to get up; that is, until the disease is thoroughly
eradicated. Stop all solid food, give only fruit juices and gruels for two or three
days. Give plenty of water or lemonade, either hot or cold; a glass of liquid every
one or two hours when the patient is awake, and oftener if he desires it.
At the onset of the disease, it is well to give a brisk cathartic such as a dose of
castor-oil, followed in one or two hours by a dose of epsom salts. The bowels should
be promptly and thoroughly washed out, by means of several large, warm, soap-suds
enemas. (See page 72.
Sweating baths followed by cold-mitten friction, as described under the treatment of
Hot foot baths in connection with hot lemonade drinking, are valuable. .(See page
93.
Do not forget to isolate and quarantine influenza patients. All discharges from the nose, throat, and lungs, should be carefully collected and disinfected.
Keep the feet warm and the head cool: hot water bottles to the feet; cold cloths on the head.
2. Pain in the back and in the legs. These pains in various parts
of the body may be relieved by very hot foot baths followed by cold-mitten friction.
Pains are also greatly relieved by keeping the feet and legs thoroughly warm. They are
sometimes greatly relieved by gentle rubbing or stroking.
3. High fever. The fever of the grippe is best treated by cooling
wet-sheet packs, or by injecting of cold water into the bowel. The wet-sheet packs are
given as follows: (See Fig. 15.
An ordinary sheet is folded from either side
4. Severe headaches. When ordinary, generous cold-compresses about
the head, face, and neck do not control headache, it will be found best to give
alternate hot and cold compresses to the head and face. Fomentations to the face,
especially over the eyes, are often helpful. Protect the eyes with pledgets of cotton
or by smaller cold cloths. Fomentations should be given in accordance with directions
noted elsewhere. (See page 101.
5. How to combat pneumonia. The important thing in the treatment of
influenza, aside from serious complications, is the prevention of pneumonia, and this
may be effectually combated as follows:
a. Hot fomentations to the chest, front and back, followed by
cold-mitten friction. Three changes of hot cloths are made, and then one cold-friction
rub is given. This procedure
b. In every way possible, keep the blood circulating in the skin.
Keep the patient warm. This does not necessarily mean that he must breathe polluted
and overheated air. The patient can be surrounded by hot water bottles and properly
covered, while plenty of fresh air is admitted to the sick-room.
c. Pay special attention to keeping the feet and legs warm. If
necessary, put extra clothing on the lower extremities.
d. See that the lungs are kept properly covered, and that the
shoulders are not exposed. If the patient tries to sit up in bed, later in the
disease, see that warm shirts or jackets are put on.
e. Provide the patient with plenty of fresh air day and night.
6. The use of drugs. Very little medicine is given by most
physicians in influenza. Where it is possible to secure a physician, this matter as
well as other phases of treatment should be left entirely in his hands. For throat
gargles, nose sprays, etc., we cannot do
In severe attacks of the grippe accompanied by unusual headache and great pain, use the foregoing treatments; remember also that considerable relief is usually obtained from the use of aspirin, given in five-grain doses, every five hours for the first two or three days. It is not advisable to keep up the use of this medicine longer in ordinary cases.
7. Convalescence. Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the
necessity of staying in bed with the grippe until one is entirely well. Do not make
the fatal mistake of getting up too soon. Time and money will be saved by taking two
or three weeks, if necessary, to get well. Don't go back to work, or about your duties
until you feel quite strong. It is a fatal mistake to undertake one's regular work
while one is still weak and wabbly from an attack of the grippe. Such presumption is
likely to be rewarded later with attacks of nervous disorders, kidney trouble, and
even heart difficulties.
CHRONIC NASAL CATARRH.ATENT MEDICINES AND DRUGS.HE CAUSE AND CURE OF COUGHS.AY FEVER.
REPEATED colds, influenza, grippe, etc., among other legacies and
after-effects, not infrequently bequeath to their victims a chronic nasal catarrh or a
persistent and troublesome cough that hangs on indefinitely.
A fresh cold in the head may very properly be called an acute nasal catarrh. When
these colds in the head follow one another in such rapid succession that a new cold
appears on the scene before its victim has fully recovered from the preceding attack;
when colds come so thick and fast that the individual is never without one; then we
may look upon the condition as one of chronic nasal catarrh.
The cause, then, of chronic catarrh is frequent and repeated attacks of acute catarrh-- colds in the head. The treatment of chronic catarrh is simply the prevention and cure of common colds. The reader is referred to the chapters devoted to the cure of colds, especially to the advice given respecting the treatment of the second or moist stage of colds.
In the treatment of chronic nasal catarrh, every effort should be put forth to cultivate the general health and increase the vital resistance. Careful attention to the stomach and bowels, hot and cold baths for the promotion of the skin circulation, deep-breathing exercises, abundant water drinking, the outdoor life-- plenty of fresh air and sunshine, together with proper physical exercise-- are all concerned in the successful treatment and permanent cure of catarrh. Of course, it is equally necessary that the nose and throat should be carefully examined, and that all abnormalities there found, be removed or corrected. Any method of treatment or mode of living that will enable one to rise above common colds, will eventually effect his deliverance from chronic catarrh.
There is a stage of chronic catarrh known as ozena, more
particularly affecting young men and women, which is characterized by an
extraordinarily dry state of the nostrils. This condition is usually preceded by
several years of chronic catarrh accompanied by a profuse and purulent discharge.
Ozena is characterized by an extraordinarily foul and offensive breath-- sometimes so
bad as to fill the whole room with its odor. Large crusts form in the nose and the
condition is altogether distressing and embarrassing. It is best treated by means of
alternating hot and cold douching with some antiseptic and alkaline solution. A good
solution for this purpose can be made by taking equal parts of common table salt,
sodium borate, and sodium bicarbonate. Thoroughly mix these three salts and then use
one teaspoonful of this powder to a pint of water.
We desire to emphasize the uselessness and harmfulness of the vast number of catarrh cures, cough mixtures, and other patent medicines, in the treatment of colds and catarrh.
Let us express a warning against the so-called cold cures, quinine and whiskey, and acetanilide, and other coal-tar preparations. While these medicines may sometimes mask the symptoms and afford temporary relief, it is always at the expense of future recurrence and increased debility, with lowered resistance on the part of the body. Colds and catarrhs simply concern the circulation of the blood, the accumulation of poisons within the body, and germs; and as means of their relief and management, drugs are quite useless, except in the form of throat gargles, cathartics, and local applications to the nose. Quinine and similar drugs check the oxidation or burning up of poisons in the body, depress the circulation, lower the temperature, lessen perspiration, and diminish the activity of the white blood-cells in their work of destroying the infectious germs.
There are numerous complications and situations connected with the treatment of
colds, which may often lead the family physician to prescribe certain useful
medicines. We are not in any way agitating against the scientific
There is no sure preventive of colds. The best of us will have an attack now and then. Our purpose in this little volume is to point out the causes which lead up to colds, to urge their prevention, and to offer practical suggestions for their treatment.
Coughs are a distressing accompaniment of many colds, especially when they have a
tendency to settle upon the lungs. Coughing is a symptom of many and varied conditions
which may affect the throat and lungs, and may be one of the symptoms of such grave
diseases as bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia, or even tuberculosis. Whooping-cough is
so well-known from its characteristic whoop that there is little
danger of confusing it with coughs due to other causes.
There are numerous causes, outside of the throat and lungs, which may be responsible for an acute or chronic cough. Hardened wax in the ear often produces coughs in children, as well as dizziness in adults. An elongated or relaxed uvula may also be responsible for spasmodic coughing. Other common conditions responsible for chronic coughing are constipation, intestinal worms, dyspepsia, and liver disorders. Coughing is also often associated with the excessive drinking of alcoholic liquors.
Coughing frequently follows attacks of the grippe, and if it is long persistent, it
becomes a serious symptom indicating general debility. In children, persistent
coughing is frequently associated with adenoids and enlarged tonsils. It cannot be
denied that "suggestion," that is, the state of the mind, may have .much to do with
perpetuating a tendency to cough. If we hear a person cough, we ourselves almost
instinctively have a desire to cough. It has been found that the victims of chronic
coughs are able to exercise considerable control over this affection by the direct
exertion of their own wills; that is, if one makes up his mind to
If the lungs are producing large quantities of mucus or muco-purulent matter, the cough should be welcomed. Productive coughs serve a useful purpose in nature's efforts to recover from various diseases affecting the lungs. The objectionable coughs, which we especially desire to treat and cure, are the dry, hacking, unproductive coughs. Coughing is frequently controlled by steam inhalation, or by breathing the fumes arising from a small basin of boiling-hot water to which one-half teaspoonful of, compound tincture of benzoin has been added.
A good prescription for persistent and troublesome tight coughing, is the following:
Mix and label: Take one teaspoonful in a half-cup of water once an hour until
the cough is loosened.10 grains5 drachm5 drachm4 ounces.
Hot and cold sponging of the chest, the wearing of the throat compress as described
on page 91
The following compound will be found of special value in relieving cough in infants or young children:
Steep two tablespoonfuls of flax-seed in a small quantity of water. Flavor with the juice of one lemon, and sweeten with a little rock candy. The mixture when finished should be of creamy consistency.
Hay-fever is a troublesome affection of the respiratory mucous membrane due to the
inhalation of the pollen from numerous plants, such as the rag-weed. Hay-fever may
also be caused by inhalation of the odors arising from various animals. There really
seems to be a true and a false hay-fever, the true hay-fever being produced alone by
the inhalation
One thing seems quite certain. Nearly all victims of hay-fever are more or less neurotic; that is, the nervous system is more or less lowered in tone
or otherwise weakened. In some highly nervous individuals, it may even be possible
that the imagination plays a considerable part in many-of their attacks of sneezing,
and other hay-fever manifestations.
All efforts directed toward the prevention of hay-fever should make provision for the
thorough-going treatment of the nervous system, improvement of the digestion, and the
relief of any irritating or inflammatory disease of the nose and throat. Crooked nasal
septums, enlarged turbinates, etc., should be thoroughly corrected before the approach
of the hay-fever season. (See Fig. 1.
In recent years, a hay-fever serum has been developed, but its use has not proven
altogether satisfactory. In spite of all that can be done, some sufferers from this
annoying malady are unable to gain relief except by a journey to
Sometimes, by the use of some simple smelling salts, hay-fever attacks may be
aborted, or greatly lessened in severity. A useful smelling salt for this purpose is
the following:
30 drops1 ounce1 ounce20 drops1/2 ounce.
Other disorders of the respiratory apparatus frequently associated with hay-fever, such as asthma, etc., should always receive the attention of a competent physician. In fact, the majority of conditions treated in this volume demand medical attention; and this book has not been written with the thought of displacing the advice and counsel of the family physician, but rather to supplement it-- to serve as a guide book to the patient in effectually and successfully carrying out the orders of his medical adviser.