Papers on Health

by John Kirk

The food consumed by the vast majority of people is far from being as nourishing as it should be. Tea and white bread have replaced porridge and milk. This should not be. Cocoa might with advantage replace tea, and porridge and milk by itself would make a highly nutritious meal (see articles on Diet).

Stimulants are not required by the healthy body, and intemperance is a fruitful predisposing cause of consumption. Skim milk is not a suitable food for the young. See Infants' Food.

Infectious diseases, such as Typhoid and Scarlatina, are frequently conveyed by cow's milk. There is also reason to believe that in certain cases of Tuberculosis the infection has been conveyed by milk from tuberculous cows. These risks can only be absolutely avoided by sterilising the milk, i.e., by placing the jug in a pan of water and bringing the water to the boil, keeping it so for twenty minutes. If the milk is kept covered, and rapidly cooled by placing in another pan of cold water, but little boiled taste will be felt. Sometimes, however, sterilised milk disagrees with an infant; if so, the strictest watch must be kept on the history of the milk used.

It should be remembered that this disease is not hereditary. It is only the delicacy of constitution predisposing to the disease that is inherited. This delicacy may, especially in childhood, be remedied. We have known hundreds of tender children made strong by liberal daily massage (see). In all cases where hereditary weakness is feared this should be resorted to. In many cases nothing more is needed to banish consumption out of families than the stimulation of the skin by this massage. Wearing linen underwear (see Underwear) also assists in this direction and prevents chills. As it is of prime importance to increase the chest capacity, and this is most easily done in youth, great attention should be paid to chest expanding exercises (see Appendix) and deep breathing. The cultivation of singing will greatly help.

Consumption, Treatment of.—Turning now to the case when consumption has actually shown itself, the above treatment is exactly the course to be pursued. But we would emphasise the fact that unlimited fresh air and good nourishing foods are the only cure. If the patient can afford it, it is best to go to one of the Sanatoria for consumptives in order that he may see how the fresh air cure is practically carried out. It means simply breathing every mouthful of air as pure as it can possibly be obtained. Sleeping out in a hut, with the side completely open, and with protection only from the rain, with abundance of clothing, and, if necessary, hot-water jars to supply the required heat, is strongly recommended, and every hour of the day, as far as possible, should be spent in the open air, reclining or taking gentle exercise.

The food should be nourishing and abundant. Plenty of milk, butter, and eggs should form the basis of the diet. The strictest precautions should be taken against spreading infection, and the patient be made to understand that these measures are intended not only to protect the public and his friends, but to allow of his social intercourse with them, and to assist his own cure. The source of danger being the spit, it should be collected in a pocket spittoon or piece of paper, and be destroyed before it has time to dry. Spitting on floors or elsewhere is highly dangerous. The spittoon should be boiled carefully. A consumptive should not swallow his phlegm, as the disease may thus be conveyed to parts of the body not already infected. Kissing a consumptive person on the lips is attended with risk, and consumptive patients should not wear a heavy moustache or beard, as the phlegm drying on the hair is a source of danger.

The bed on which the consumptive lies should not be in a corner, but out from the wall, so as to admit of cleaning and ventilation. Curtains and carpets are dust catchers; reduce the amount of such articles as much as possible. In the event of a death from consumption, the room occupied by the invalid should not be used again until it has been thoroughly disinfected. The Public Health Authorities are usually ready to carry out this work. If not, the floor and woodwork should be wiped with damp dusters, and then scoured with soap and water. If the walls are papered, the paper should be well damped, stripped off, and burnt. If the walls have been white-washed, this should be renewed with limewash, containing a quarter of a pound of chlorinated lime to the gallon of limewash. The quilt, pillow case, blankets, and sheets of the patient's bed should be steeped in boiling water and then washed.

Often consumption is associated with wasting sores on the neck or other parts, which are extremely difficult to heal. These should be soaked in warm weak acetic acid (see) daily, and dressed with olive oil. They may be greatly mitigated, if not cured, by this simple means. See Abscess; Bone, Diseased. The directions as to diet in cases of abscess apply also to these cases. Besides such outward applications, the rubbing along each side of the spine should be applied. See Children's Healthy Growth. The armchair fomentation (see) may also be used.

The very rapid pulse, and extreme fever, which accompany advanced and rapid consumption, may often be greatly mitigated by cooling cloths applied over the heart. Sponging over the whole body with vinegar or weak acetic acid (see) also greatly refreshes the patient. It may be done under the bedclothes, so as to avoid all possibility of chill. Cold cloths over the heart and chest, if they cause chilliness, may be accompanied with fomentation of the feet and legs.

The temperature of a consumptive should be recorded three times a day, and if above normal the patient should stay in bed till it is reduced.