Keep Down the Temperature.
THE prevalence of pneumonia this winter has been fearful. In New York and yet more in Brooklyn the mortality from this disease has been so great as to cause several eminent physicians to regard it as epidemic. March and April are commonly the months in which it is most prevalent, but this year it came earlier and proved very deadly. The following about the causes of it, and the way to ward it off, coming from Dr. Wm. A. Hammond, is well worth reading and heeding:— "The great trouble with people in this country is that they will persist in living in overheated rooms. And what is the consequence? When it is necessary for them to go out, the great difference in the exterior temperature strikes upon their organization, the cold penetrates them and pneumonia kills them. Even without going into the streets, persons inhabiting very warm rooms may contract a fatal cold when passing into the halls that are not heated. I have known such cases. Particularly in country houses is this true, where the rooms are heated and the halls are not. To avoid pneumonia people should take good care of themselves; I don't mean by staying at home and making themselves as comfortable as possible, but by taking outdoor exercise and making their habits regular. Many suppose that when the winter is severe, and the atmosphere is what is termed "bracing," then the mortality is not great. But this is a mistake, for a severe winter kills at both ends—kills off the very old and the very young. There is less mortality in a mild winter. Now, to avoid the danger of taking cold, I would recommend people to keep their houses only moderately warm. I keep my apartment at a temperature of sixty-four degrees, and yet I have visitors who come in and complain of the cold, because they are used to a higher temperature at home. I would also advise people to abstain from alcohol, especially in damp weather, for much drinking predisposes to pneumonia. I have known the case of a public man who died from this disease, but the disease had the breach opened for it by his indulgence in alcohol. As to the age at which one is liable, or not liable, I should say that a man under 60, with good habits, ought to be able to resist its inroads. Over 60 years of age any one may be subject to it."—Sel.