304 THE WONDERFUL HOUSE THAT JACK HAS 



the disease and judge whether the patient's condition 

 is growing more or less favorable. The beating of the 

 heart at a rate higher than normal is also an indication 

 of fever. For this reason, it is important that some 

 member of the family should be able to find out the 

 pulse rate. The pulse and the temperature are two 

 things by which necessity for the immediate attention 

 of a doctor may largely be judged in any disease. 



Besides the daily rise in temperature, there are three 

 other marked signs of consumption that sometimes 

 cause little alarm. These are gradual loss of appetite, 

 increase in the amount of expectoration, and night 

 sweats. The night sweats, perhaps, start mildly in the 

 early stage of the attack, but often become so copious 

 that a patient's sleeping garments are wet with per- 

 spiration in the morning. Such unnatural perspiring 

 should be remembered as a very serious symptom 

 of the progress of consumption. Under no circum- 

 stances should any one having night sweats neglect to 

 put himself under a doctor's care. Allowing such a 

 warning to go unheeded nearly always means another 

 victim for "The Great White Plague." There are 

 sometimes other symptoms of this disease, but the 

 points that have been mentioned are especially impor- 

 tant for all to know, because they frequently do not 

 arouse any particular concern. 



How may this dread disease be prevented from 

 spreading in a family or neighborhood? The main 

 thing is to keep the bacilli in the patient's expectora- 



