CHAPTER XII. 



CONSUMPTION : ITS CAUSE AND CURE. 



Any disease which causes a gradual decay or wasting- 

 away of the body may be properly called consumption ; 

 but by general usage the term is now applied to a wast- 

 ing away of the lungs, and to distinguish it from other 

 lung diseases, as from all other diseases of the body, it 

 is scientifically termed tuberculosis. As this book is 

 w^ritten for the masses as well as for scientists, I shall 

 use the word consumption as it is popularly used, instead 

 of employing the less understood word tuberculosis. 



There is probably no disease so much dreaded as is 

 consumption. It is more common in climates subject to 

 sudden changes, but thrives weU in all — in the north, the 

 south, the heated Bahamas and the arctic climes, in the 

 old continent and in the new continent, in England and 

 France, as well as in the Indies. Everywhere the disease 

 is known and dreaded. Were it not for consumption 

 the mortality rate would be far lower. It is estimated 

 that about ten per cent of the deaths in this country are 

 caused directly by consumption. In Paris it is believed 

 that nearly twenty-five per cent of the deaths are due to 

 this disease. These figures, of course, refer only to the 

 cases where death is due solely to the so-called disease. 

 It is quite certain, however, that in many other cases 

 consumption is combined with other ailments, ulti- 

 mately causing death, but from numerous compHcations 

 not attributable directly to consumption. 



In a book of this character it is not necessary to de- 

 scribe at length the action of consumption. Every 

 person is more or less familiar with it, because there is 

 seldom a family and never a small community where 

 the disease is not known and dreaded. It seems to 



