What is the nature of the condition known as soldier's heart?

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Soldier's Heart

Q. What is the nature of the condition known as soldier's heart?

A. A careful study of the subject seems to show conclusively that "soldier's heart" is a term which includes a number of conditions due to various causes and which present in common a group of symptoms the chief of which are breathlessness, palpitation, giddiness or fainting, exhaustion on slight exertion, and pain in the region of the heart, increased by exercise.

An exhaustive study of this subject shows that these symptoms are not caused by excessive muscular exertion. In other words that so-called "heart strain,'' instead of being a common occur­rence is exceedingly rare.

Mackenzie, the eminent English heart special­ist, declares that although he has examined a great number of athletes' hearts he has never found a single case of over-strain.

It is quite natural to suppose over-strain to be the cause of so-called "soldier's heart," because the symptoms appear during vigorous exercise, and usually wholly disappear or nearly so, during rest.
Among the causes mentioned by the authors quoted by Dr. Musser, are infection, injury of the heart by rheumatic attacks, toxemia, and poisons, as in cigarette smoking and the use of strong coffee.
No matter what the cause of the cardiac dis­turbance, it is universally admitted that smoking "is an important contributory factor in the breathlessness and precardiac pain in many cases."

Rudolf considers that tobacco is a cause of soldier's heart in many cases.

Tullidge, during service in the Austrian army, noted a number of cases in which the heart disturbance could be traced directly to the use of tobacco.

The simple facts, then, are these: The soldier is liable to suffer from heart ailments generally known as "soldier's heart." Smoking increases the liability to the disease and aggravates it when present. It is evident then, that smoking is not good for soldiers.

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