The health question box

Hemorrhage Q. By what means may hemorrhage be controlled? A. The principal means to be employed for arresting hemorrhage are pressure, ice or cold water, hot water, and the ligature . The means to be employed differ somewhat according to the part in which the hemorrhage occurs. As a general rule, the bleeding part should be ele vated, and pressure applied at the point of in­jury. Very hot or very cold applications should be made. Pressure acts by closing the blood vessels and allowing the blood to coagulate. Cold at first causes the blood vessels to contract; but if applied continuously for a long time, the blood vessels are paralyzed and become relaxed. In using the ligature, apply it either above or be­low the injury if it occurs in a limb, according, as the bleeding comes from an artery or a vein. If an artery is wounded, the blood will flow in jets; if a vein is injured, the blood will be dark in color and will flow in a steady stream. If the vessel is an a rtery, the ligatu...

Shivering Q . What is the cause of shivering? A. Shivering occurs when the temperature of the blood has been reduced a few tenths of a degree. Muscular action is always attended by the production of heat as a by-product. When the temperature of the blood is lowered, shivering, an involuntary action of the muscles, takes place as a defensive effort having for its purpose the production of heat. Shivering is thus a remedial process and may be even encouraged with ad­ v antage . An eminent English traveler who ex­ plored the Arctic regions, in giving an account of his experiences mentioned that on a certain occasion he and his companions having become greatly chilled by exposure sat down upon a block of ice and shivered themselves warm.

The Blood Supply Q. How much blood is contained in the body of a person of average size , and what pro­ portion of the blood goes to different organs? A. Each organ requires a certain blood sup­ply according to its size and its functional ac­tivity. Wiggers has determined the am o unt of blood required by various parts of the body per minute. The figures g iven show the volume of blood in proportion to the or g an supplied. Leg………………………………………….5 per cent Muscles…………………………………… 12 per cent Heart……………………………………… 16 per cent Stomach………………………………….. 21 per cent Pancreas………………………………….. 80 per cent Liver………………………………………84 per cent Brain…………………………………….136 per cent Kidney………………………………….. 150 per cent Thyroid gland…………………………… 560 per cent The activity of a n organ and its importance to the body ma y be jud ge d somewhat by the amount of blood which it requires. The amount of blood supplied the muscles may be increased during work to twenty times the volume re ceived w...

Work of the Heart Q .    Has any estimate been made of the work that is done by the heart in circulating the blood? A. Yes. The work of the heart of an ordi­nary man in twenty-four hours is equal to many tons. It has been estimated that the heart at each beat does work equal to lifting one pound one foot high. The amount of energy consumed is 1/1000 of a calory. The work of the heart mus­cle is about one-tenth of the work done by the entire body. The rate at which the heart works varies with many conditions. On counting the pulse at the wrist, the ordinary rate in an adult, sitting up­ right, is found to be 68. In the same person lying down th e pulse rate will be found to be 64 beats, and in the standing position the rate would be increased to 78. Walking at a moderate rate usually raises the pulse to about 100, while by running and other violent muscular efforts, it may be increased to 180 or even more. The pulse rate of an infant is about 130 to 140; that of a...

Athletic Heart Q. Is it possible for a person to be a long distance runner without getting "athletic heart?" A. Yes. One of the greatest athletic events in 1916 was a run of one hundred miles, made between Milwaukee and Chicago by Syndey Hatch. The former record for this run was eighteen hours, but was lowered by Hatch to fourteen hours. Every foot of the journey was run, and the only stops made were four, aggregating one­ half hour. This run is remarkable, not only because of the time that was made, but also because Mr . Hatch made it at an age that is supposed to be beyond the period of active athletics-thirty - four years. Still, one need not be surprised when he learns of the method of living followed by Mr. Hatch. He abstains absolutely from alcoholic liquors of all kinds, as also from tobacco . More than this, although he ha s made more run s than any other two athletes in thi s c ountry , he has not developed what is known as an "athletic heart....

Blue Lips Q. What causes blueness of the lips in heart disease, especially on exercise? A. The effect of exercise upon a person suf­fering from heart disease is quite different from that of a person in health. In health the amount of carbon dioxide in the body is greatly de­creased by exercise whereas in the case of per­sons suffering from disease of the heart the amount of carbon dioxide may be increased to nearly fifty per cent above the normal. It is this accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood which produces the shortness of breath and the blueness of the lips which are characteristic of this condition. In persons suffering from dis­ease of the heart in an advanced stage, the blood is constantly over loaded with carbon dioxide.

Heart Failure Q. What are the symptoms of heart failure? A. There are various symptoms by which the failure of the heart to do its duty is indicated. One of the most common is shortness of the breath. It is one of the duties of the heart to pump the blood through the lungs for purifi­ cation. When the heart is not able to pass the blood through the lungs rapidly enough to keep the blood free from carbon dioxide, this poison accumulates in the blood and shortness of breath is the result. Another common symptom is swelling of the feet. Swelling of the feet is generally an in­dication either that the heart is weak or that the kidneys are diseased. Both conditions may exist at the same time. Still another indication of weakness of the heart is blueness of the lips. This symptom in­ dicates that the blood is not being circulated fast enough to keep it free from carbon dioxide. That is, the blood in the arteries instead of being of the natural scarlet color differs little from...

Tobacco and Heart Disease Q. In what way does tobacco affect the heart? A. Dr. J. F. Bary, F. R. C. S., of Cork, re­ port s in the London Lancet the r e sults of an extended re s earch made for the purpose of de­ ter mi nin g th e effects of nicotine upon the heart. This able inve s tigator demonstrated that nicotine is a he art p o is o n and wh e n applied to the beating heart of the fro g caus e s permanent arrest. When it i s rem e mbe r ed that cutting off the head of a frog does not stop the beating of its heart for h o urs and that the amphibian's heart may even b ea t f o r days after removal from the body, it is e v ident that a drug which will in­ stantly stop the heart action so that it will never beat again must be a powerful heart poison. In other words, nicotine applied to the frog's heart will kill the animal more quickly than cut­ting off its head.

Soldier's Heart Q. What is the nature of the condition known as soldier's heart? A. A careful study of the subject see m s 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 g roup o f s ymp tom s the chief of which are breathl ess nes s, palpit at ion , g iddin ess or faintin g, exhaustion on slight exertion, and pain in th e region of the h ear t , incr eased by exer ci se . An exhau s tive s tudy of this subject shows that these symptoms are not caused by exce ss ive muscul a r e x ertion. In other words that so-called "heart strain,'' instead of being a common occur­rence is exceedin g ly rare. Mackenzie, the eminent E ng l ish h ea rt special­ ist, declares that althou g h 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 ...

Cause of Heart Disease Q. What is the cause of heart disease? A. The most common causes of heart failure are the presence of poisons in the blood and de generation of the arteries. Nicotin, alcohol, tea and coffee, the free use of flesh foods, and constipation are among the most common direct and indirect causes of heart failure.

Organic Heart Disease Q. Can leakage of the heart be cured in the case of a man of forty years? A. Organic disease of the heart can not be cured, but much can be done to aid the patient to tolerate the disease so that serious symptoms may be postponed for many years. Very hot baths must be avoided in cases of heart disease and cold applications must be made with great care.

Q. Does coffee cause high blood pressure? A. Yes. Tea and coffee contain caffein, a pressure-raising drug. A cup of coffee contains four grains of caffein, or two medicinal doses.  Coca-cola contains as much caffein as coffee.

Increase of Heart Disease Q. Are diseases of the heart and blood ves­sels increasing? A. The cause of the increase of these two highly fatal diseases is very likely to be found in the steady increase in the use of tobacco and alcohol. Within the last ten years the mortality from heart disease has increased over 50 per cent, the mortality from arteriosclerosis has increased from 6.1 per hundred thousand in 1900, to 21 in 1911, an increase of nearly 250 per cent. According to the Census report, nearly four times as many people die from disease of the blood vessels to­ day as thirty years ago.

Cause of Arteriosclerosis Q. What causes arteriosclerosis in persons who never used tobacco, alcoholic drinks or much meat? A. Inactivity of the bowels, tea, coffee and constipation are causes. Constipation doubtless is the most important of all causes. The use of tea and coffee is harmful as well as the use of tobacco. Lead from lead pipes will produce hardening of the arteries. Typhoid fever and other in­fectious diseases are common causes.

Early Signs of Arteriosclerosis Q. What is the first indication of hardening of the arteries? A. Usually one of the first indications is the rise of blood pressure. Rise of blood pressure, however, is not in itself a proof positive of hardening of the arteries. Sometimes, also, the disease is far ad v anced before rise of blood pressure occurs. In very advanced cases, the blood pressure falls because of weakening of the heart.

Arteriosc l erosis-Hardening of the Arteries Q. What is arteriosclerosis? A. This disease is much more common than formerly supposed. The cause is the circula­tion of poisons in the blood. There are many p o isons which produce hardening of the ar­teries. The most acti v e of these are syphilis , lead, alcohol, tob a cc o , caffein, the pois o n of tea and coffee, and last, but not least, colon poisons. It is probable that poisons generated in the colon from the putrefaction of undigested portions of meat are the most common and most serious cause of hardening of the arteries and premature s enility. A very co mmon symptom w hic h results f rom hardening o f the arterie s is a r ise o f blood pressure. The normal blood pressure is 100° to 120 ° F. In arteriosclerosis the blood pressure may rise to 200 and even 30 0 . In many cases changes of the arteries occur without a rise of blood pressure . An elevati o n o f bl oo d-pressur e g en e r a lly g i v es r i se to very littl...

Apoplexy Q. What is the cause of apoplexy? A. Rupture of an artery. It is not often, however, that the artery ruptures because of excessive pressure. A healthy artery is able to resist a pressure many times that to which it is usually subjected. The real cause of the rupture is weakening of the wall of the blood vessels the result of degenerative change.

Blushing Q. What is the cause of blushing? A. The sudden reddening of the cheeks known as blushing, is due to the influence of cer­tain emotions upon the vaso-motor center, that is, the part of the brain that controls the blood vessels of the body. In some persons, blushing is wholly confined to the cheeks, while in others it extends to the forehead, and in still others to the neck and shoulders.

The Diaphragm and the Circulation Q. Does the diaphragm aid in the cir­culation of the blood? A. The diaphragm in its downward move­ments, not only draws air into the lungs by an action resembling that of the piston of a pump, but while producing a suction effect in the chest, the descending diaphragm at the same time compresses the liver, stomach and other viscera against the tense abdominal wall; it thus empties them of blood, and so assists the portal circula tion, by propelling the venous blood of the abdomen toward the heart. The influence of the diaphragm also extends to the head and even more remote parts of the body. In fact, the diaphragm is one of the most important factors in the circulation of the blood.  In order, however, for the diaphragm to aid the circulation it must have an opportunity to act efficiently. This it cannot do if it is cramped and hindered by tight clothing. As commonly worn corsets and waist bands greatly hinder the action of the diaphrag...

Vertigo Q. What is the cause of vertigo and what is the remedy? A. There are various causes. Here are a few: Menier's disease, a disease of the inner ear or labyrinth; arteriosclerosis; anemia; gen­eral weakness, especially a weak heart; intestinal toxemia or autointoxication due to constipation and colon infection. When the attacks of vertigo occur only occa­ sionally they are very likely due to indigestion. It must be remembered, however, that in certain mild forms of epilepsy the patient suffers from attacks which are often described as vertigo, the so-called petit mal . When the vertigo is constant or very frequent, some profound disturbance of the bodily functions almost certainly exists. This may be hardening of the arteries, degeneration of the heart or kidneys, or some other grave con dition. Occasionally the giddiness may be the result of the use of drugs, especially of headache powders and sleep-producing drugs . Bro­mide of potash causes very severe vertigo w...