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A Full Discussion of Pneumonia 
FARMS In N«™ y je s r y hern 
Send for our ftee. illustrated caralogue. map ami photos de- 
bargain* around BEAUTIFUL VINELAND 
counties, also Tjeoi* Coast; cius«i to Atlantic City* the play- 
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tho world j iwsi market; spucinliaing in fruit and poultry 
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and equipped. Tell us what you want. Write today. 
VINELAND FARM AGENCV. 549-K Undis Ate., Vbelind. N. J. 
Virginia Farms and Homes 
FKEK CATALOGCE OF SPLENDII> BARGAINS 
R It. CHAFFIN & CO., luc., Richmond, Ya. 
tot RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Thousands of New Subscribers 
Jmve boeome interested in Hope Farm and its people. They may not 
know that these notes have been printed for 20 years and more. 
None o of the best of these old-time sketches have been published 
in book form. Tins book is called 
HOPE FARM NOTES 
Every reader of the Rural New-Yorker should own a copy. Among 
other remarkable tributes is the following: 
Mr. M and I have just finished Hope Farm Notes, 
and I wish you would express to Mr. Collingwood the 
pleasure that it gave us. We both liked it very much, 
and rarely do we both like the same book! 
° hio - M. H. M. 
It is rare that any single book will appeal to all members of the 
farndy This one will because it is tilled with kindly feeling and 
human nature. It should be in every country home. 
I have quite a few arguments with my 
husband and uncle about pneumonia. 
They claim it is always fatal, and that 
it is a hardening of the tissues of the 
lungs, and that what doctors usually 
term pneumonia is not that disease at 
all. I do not agree with them, though I 
think there is no help for some few cases 
from the start. I asked my husband if 
he would agree to take your answer as 
a final decision, and he does, so please 
ask some doctors to give their decision, 
and then we won’t argue about it any 
more, for, as my husband says, he some¬ 
times “gets my goat” when in an argu¬ 
ment. MRS. w. F. T. 
When laymen disagree, who shall de¬ 
cide? Not I, though I will agree to 
referee this little dispute, provided that 
it is understood I am always on the side 
of the lady—the only safe side for a 
doctor. 
Husband and uncle are right in saying 
that pneumonia involves a hardening of 
the tissues of the lungs, but they are 
wrong in saying that, pneumonia is 
always fatal. If it were, I shouldn’t be 
writing this. It. is not possible to give 
any accurate figures as to the death rate 
in pneumonia, since that death rate varies 
markedly with circumstances, but in gen¬ 
eral it is put at about 25 per cent of all 
cases in hospital practice and 15 per cent 
in private practice. The gneuter death 
rate in hospital practice is due to the 
fact that hospitals get a larger proper- 
tion of hopeless cases. One thing seems 
certain : The death rate from pneumonia 
has been growing for at least 25 years. 
Pneumonia, in simple language, is in¬ 
flammation of the lungs. It is classed 
among the germ diseases; that is, the 
inflammation is cau.sod by a certain germ, 
or possibly by a number of different 
germs, for no one lias yet proven that 
only one germ is responsible for this dis¬ 
ease. There is a matter that needs clear¬ 
ing up. However, it is pretty well agreed 
that a germ named Diplococcus lanceo- 
latus is the immediate cause of pneu¬ 
monia. This germ, as well as countless 
others, may exist in the noses and throats 
of healthy persons without, doing harm. 
(.Terms are not an even-tempered class of 
beings; sometimes they are as mild and 
harmless as doves; then, a ain, thov take 
on a malignant temper and sting like 
serpents. Much depends upon the phy¬ 
sical condition of those who carry them. 
A robust person might carry the germs 
of pneumonia in his nasal passages for a 
long time, without, harm, hut if the re¬ 
sistance of his tissues should become 
weakened by fatigue, by exposure, bv in¬ 
dulgence in alcohol, or by any one of a 
number of other things, these germs 
might take advantage of their opportunity 
and strike while nature's forces were at 
a low ebb. The same thing is true of nil 
other germ diseases. There is a balance 
between the forces of disease, and the 
resistive power of the tissues that some¬ 
times sways one way and sometimes the 
other. 
Pneumonia is classified under different 
heads by those who study it, but the two 
great divisions are lobar pueumouia and 
broneho-pneumotda. In lobar pneumonia 
fl whole section, or lobe, of the lung bo- 
comes inflamed, while the rest of that 
organ remains healthy. In broncho¬ 
pneumonia there are small and scattered 
areas of inflammation throughout the 
lungs, the tissues in between remaining 
capable of carrying on their work. Lobar 
pneumonia is the pneumonia of the vig¬ 
orous adult, and very likely of the aged, 
while broncho-pneumonia is the pneu¬ 
monia of the iufant and young child, 
though any age may have one or the 
other. I’lenro-pueunionia is not plural 
pneumonia, meaning pneumonia of both 
lungs, as is sometimes supposed, but an 
inflammation of the lungs that also in¬ 
volves the pleura, or the membrane which 
covers the lungs and lines the chest cav¬ 
ity. Most pneumonias are pleuro-pneu- 
monias. for it would he pretty difficult for 
the lining of an inflamed lung not to be¬ 
come involved in the inflammatory 
process. If the pleura alone become in¬ 
flamed. and tins frequently occurs, at 
least as the main trouble, we have 
pleurisy. 
There are three distinct, stages in the 
progress of this disease, and here is 
where the hardening of the tissues comes 
in. The first stage is the stage of con¬ 
gestion. when the inflamed lung becomes 
engorged with blood. Following that is 
the stage of consolidation, or hardening, 
when the inflamed portion of the lung 
becomes a solid, red mass, having some¬ 
thing tlio appearance of liver. This is 
called, the stage of red hepatization, 
hepatization meaning liver-like. The 
third stage is called the stage of gray 
hepatization, for the liver-like tissue loses 
its red color, the solid cent outs of the 
air cells break down and liquefy, and if 
the patient recovers, are finally carried 
away, leaving healthy air cells behiud. 
The moral of this whole story, though 
it may not appear upon the surface, is 
that pneumonia, to a certain extent, at 
least, is a communicable disease. The 
germs may be transferred from one per¬ 
son to another if people live in crowded 
rooms, or rooms without adequate venti¬ 
lation. and if. in times of epidemics of 
influenza and “colds.” they get into 
crowds where germs of pretty nearly all 
kinds are coughed and sneezed into the 
air, to be inhaled by others than those 
who originally carried them. They may 
also be transferred from a sick person to 
his nurse or caretaker, and this not at 
all infrequently occurs. A second, and 
more pleasant, moral to be deduced is 
that one can protect himself to a very 
considerable extent from pneumonia if he 
is willing to take the proper measures. 
" hose measures consist in avoiding un¬ 
necessary exposure to the germs of the 
disease and in so maintaining one's health 
and vigor that a germ obtaining access 
to the system would throw up its hands 
and die without a struggle. Fresh air 
at all times; sunshine when it may be 
bad; proper food ; ample sleep; avoidance 
of over-fatigue; absteutiou from alcohol, 
pneumonia’s first assistant; and all other 
such measures as the well understood 
rules of health prescribe. Not all can 
escape pneumonia, for it is not possible 
for all to place and keep themselves in 
position to resist it successfully. Pneu¬ 
monia has even been said to be the nat¬ 
ural death of the aged. But countless 
thousands who have suffered from this 
disease might have escaped if they had 
had an intelligent understanding of some 
risks that they were running and had 
avoided them. “Ah-hn !” you say, “you 
said that you bad had it yourself.” True, 
hut in an unavoidable form, and one not 
spoken of before, because comparatively 
rare. This was a pneumonia which 
sometimes follows a prolonged surgical 
operation. A small blood clot is carried 
to the lungs and, lodging there, sets up 
an infective inflammation. While sur¬ 
geons dread this possible result of an 
operation, there is no known way of 
avoiding it, and it occurs too rarely to 
be considered as making an otherwise 
necessary surgical operation inadvisable. 
M. B. D. 
Principle of Septic Tank 
Will you send me specifications for a 
septic tank for six persons? II. M. 
Westhumpton, Mass. 
Sewage is acted upon by two classes 
of organisms — aerobic bacteria and an- 
aerobic bacteria. The aerobic bacteria 
thrive and . live onlj’ in the presence 
of air, while tli-e anaerobic tvpe can 
live only where the air is excluded. A 
properly designed septic tank and filter¬ 
ing bed takes advantage of these facts, 
presenting the raw sewage first to the 
bacteria that thrive where air is ex¬ 
cluded, and then passing the partially 
treated sewage along to the aerobic type. 
Together, they, like Jack Sprat t and'his 
wife, lick the platter clean." The septic 
tank proper is designed to provide ideal 
conditions for the anaerobic bacteria It 
is placed under ground, providing an 
equable temperature, is made of such a 
size that the sewage is held ab-mt 24 
hours before being discharged; it is made 
long and narrow to insure that the sew¬ 
age will be gradually worked from the 
inlet end to the outlet, provided with 
baffle boards further to equalize the flow, 
and made deep to provide for the sludge 
that settles to the bottom, and for the 
1 hick leathery scum that forms on the 
surface, The liquid discharge from this 
tank is run into lines of purifying tile or 
over a filter bed', whore the aerobic bac¬ 
teria have their opportunity at it. 
For a family of five a septic tank 
should be from 2 to 2U ft, wide, about 
o ft. long and 4 If. ft. deep. The length 
of purifying tile required will depend to 
a large extent upon the character of the 
soil m which they are laid. Prof. II. W 
Riley of New York State College of 
Agriculture, Ithaca. N. Y.. has done a 
great deal of work along the development 
of the septic tank. This work he 1ms 
summarized in a bulletin. “Sewage Dis¬ 
posal for Country Homes,” which con¬ 
tains specific directions for the construc¬ 
tion of such a plant as you wish. You 
should have this bulletin, and it will be 
mailed you upon request. 
Corns; Varicose Veins 
1. Could you give a good remedv for 
corns. What is good for varicose 
E.M.S. 
1. Salicylic acid is the application most 
used for corns. Better get a good corn 
plaster containing it at the druggist's, or 
if.you prefer to make your own. get and 
niix SO grains of salicylic acid. 10 grains 
of extract of cannabis iudica and one-half 
fluid ounce of collodion. Apply with a 
small brush to corn night and' morning 
for several days: then soak corn in hot 
water and remove. Tf at first vou don’t 
succeed, try, try again. 
2. \ aricose veins are veins whose walls 
have become so stretched and charged 
that they have lost their elasticity and 
cannot again return to their original con¬ 
dition. Consequently there is no medical 
treatment. If they occur in the lower 
extremities a properly fitted rubber 
stocking may be worn, or if they are of 
such size and extent as to endanger life, 
a surgical operation for their obliteration 
may be considered. m. b. d. 
Mrs. Fact if (with newspaper): “Do 
you know, \\ illiam. that every time you 
breathe someone dies?” Mr. Factie: 
“Well. I’m sorry; but I can’t help it! 
If I stop breathing I’ll die, too.”—Credit 
Lost. 
!•. D. or Street No 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 333 West 30th St.. New York 
Gentlemen—Enclosed find remittance for $1.50. for which send 
me. postpaid, a copy of "Hope Farm Notes." 
Name. 
State 
Mr. Jenkins Took a Cracked 
Club To Tame Lions 
The exhibition ended rather badly. It very 
nearly was a big day for the lions and a sad day 
for Mr. Jenkins — all for want of proper care in 
getting ready. 
Many a man who has business to do and a 
living to make and a job to fill is as careless how 
he feeds his body as Mr. Jenkins was in picking 
out a club. And an improperly nourished body 
often fails under a hard test. 
Some foods are too heavy, some are too 
starchy, many lack necessary elements and so 
starve the body—and many load the system 
down with fermentation and auto-intoxication. 
Grape-Nuts helps build health and strength. 
It contains the full richness of wheat and malted 
barley, including the vital mineral elements, with¬ 
out which the body cannot be fully sustained. 
Grape-Nuts digests quickly and wholesomely. 
Served with cream or good milk, it is a complete 
food—crisp and delicious. 
Grape-Nuts is just the food for those who care 
to meet life’s situations well prepared in health. 
Order Grape-Nuts from your grocer today. Try 
it with cream or milk for breakfast or lunch, or 
made into a delightful pudding for dinner. 
Grape-Nuts—the Body Builder 
'‘There’s a Reason” 
Made by Postum Cereal Co., Inc., Battle Creek, Michigan 
