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It was anciently used as anathema and that use is still in force to this day. Let the incredulous critic spit in some one's face if he doubts my word. But sputum had also a place in the Greek and Roman rituals. Trimalchio spits and throws wine under the table when he hears a cock crowing unseasonably. This, in the first century.
On the other hand, while the vast majority of cases of so-called hereditary tuberculosis are due to direct infection, and may be prevented by proper disposal of the sputum and other methods for avoiding contagion, there is probably a hereditary element in the spread of tuberculosis to this degree: that, inasmuch as all of us have been exposed to the attack and invasion of the tubercle bacillus, not merely scores, but hundreds of times, and have been able to resist or throw off that attack without apparent injury, the development of an invasion of the tubercle bacillus sufficiently extensive to endanger life is, in nine cases out of ten, in itself a proof of lowered resisting power on the part of the patient.
Compared with the methods of diagnosis to-day those then were very limited, but Sir Andrew's message was the more important, showing the greatness of the man, who, though at the very top of the tree, never for a moment tried to convey to his followers that his knowledge was final, but that any moment he stood ready to abandon his position for a better one. "What about the sputum, Mr.
At first there is a dry cough and what is known as the brick dust sputum, and in the advanced stages a peculiar dark tint in the cheeks, known as the mahogany flush. The breathing becomes very hurried, rising as high as forty respirations per minute. It is an exceedingly rapid and frequently fatal form of disease. Promptitude in dealing with the case is of the highest importance.
Dyspnœa, with cyanosis, a persistent cough and frothy or blood-stained sputum, a feeble pulse and low temperature, are the chief symptoms. When the fat lodges in the capillaries of the brain, the pulse becomes small, rapid, and irregular, delirium followed by coma ensues, and the condition is usually rapidly fatal. Fat is usually to be detected in the urine, even in mild cases.
The same steps should be taken to prevent its spread as in tuberculosis destroying the sputum, keeping the patient by himself, and thoroughly ventilating and airing all rooms. As the disease runs a very rapid course, usually lasting only from one to three weeks, this is a comparatively easy thing to do.
This is vividly supported by the fact brought out in our later investigations of the sputum of slum-dwellers, carried out by city boards of health, that the percentage of individuals harboring the pneumococcus steadily increases all through the winter months, from ten per cent in December to forty-five, fifty, and even sixty per cent in February and March.
Those who have made close studies of the way in which these diseases are disseminated are convinced that the flies are one of the most important factors in their spread. It has long been observed that flies are particularly fond of sputum and will feed on it on the sidewalk, in the gutter, the cuspidor or wherever opportunity offers.
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