Volcanic Eruptions.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 202, 28 August 1886, Page 8

Volcanic Eruptions.

To tho ordinary mind the dread hay accomplished by such an eruption nature's forces as that in New Zealand I hardly conceivable. Only a vague u ntw tain idea can be conjured up of the t mondous upheaval of volcanic disturbanc But tho terrcr which even this faint pictut' of the truth presents to tho mind is Wr^. superior to any inspired by other calamity With storm and shipwreck we are familj«' We accept these disasters as inevitable. _ accident by field and flood we are so aeon tomed that they excite only a p«wri agitation and fleeting sympathy, g? thero is indeed something awful stupendous in the action of an eartha___ which paralyses ordinary courage ', ! breaks down the bravest and most feari!? Thero is no art within the reach of by which these Titanic convulsions m" 1 be checked, subdued, or controlled . the presence of this great movement this bursting asunder of bonds th havo long held the seething cauu:,? within the bosom of the earth in bonhri man .stands powerless and impotent __\\■ a? thoy stood, who of old beheld the w »tL. encompassing the earth, swell and sweeh ovor that earth, so stand we in theprese_> of a great earthquake. This is w_at_.a_„ these eruptions cf nature so terrible to « template. The absolute helplessness _i man under such circumstance? appals anil bewilders the best and bravest. And yet, regarded philosophically, there aro terrors as dread and awful of familis? and daily occurrence. If we only knew how cl.sely wo tread upon the verge of death every day of our lives, this convulsion of naturo in New Zealand would appeartrifli _» whon placed beside the dangers that be»etu. on all sides. The lives that were lost by thou .burst at Rotomahana aro as nothing oo_ pared to the lives which are daily »_h hourly lost by disease, neglect, or ill-treat ment. We read of sudden deaths evory d» T in the newspapers. But we feel little tronbie about these facts, heedless that weotirselrei may be in peril of a similar fate. Who ex. pectod Sir John O'Shannassy to die 7 suddenly, or Judge Fellows, or J B( J M Barry ? And we ourselves never snipect that we may come to a similar pass, yf, deem all mon mortal but ourselvei, If w « feel ill we pooh pooh any suggeatioh ot danger. We are like those who, at Rbtbmahuna, havo been living on the oru.toia volcano for years past. They knew it but never deemed that there was any chance of an eruption such as has over; taken them So with us in disease. TVe forget or ignore the fact that perfect health und.r the conditions of modern civilisation is impossible, and that only by checking thi insidious approach of disease can we hope to preserve our life forces unimpaired. Pro. fessor William Roberts, of the Royal College of Physicians, London, discoureingofsudden death, speaks of the condition of those whD suffer as "part of a widespread tissue degehoration,involvingtbeentirebody." Diae_Mt which culminate in sudden death are slig.i in origin, slow in development, and aretracj. able to minor causes, which, if taken In timr, could be driven out of thft Bystto, Like the volcano, they feed on .hemselveL until thoy burst forth and bring anhihi. lation and death to those in _<& blood the fire has existed, tainting and poisoning tho whole system. Hereditary taint, and the invisible poison which lurks in the arteries and vessels of the body, are most commonly tho causes of the ailment known as heart disease. But heart dieeaa is essentially an effect of the degener* tion of t.e system. Suddeu ■• death may be traceable absolutely to stoppage oi the heart's action, but the cause of this ii found in the disorganisation of the bltkd; debility of tho nervous system, degeneracy of the kidneys and liver. Heart dlteaso; vertigo, apoplexy, paralysis, are all effects, not causes. The real cause is traceable te a Weakened condition of the body, bronght about by the neglect of some vital organ. Twitching and convulsion of the muscles, headaches, drowiiness, .dimness of Bight and hearing, nausea, pershtenthotand dry skin, a peculiar transparent appearance of the skin, swelling of the ankles, rhoumatic pains, irritability, morose temper, shortness of breath, nervotii dyspepsia—theso and a hundred other symptoms indicate the presence of grays danger. There are few who have noteiperieaoed one or many of these signals of nature. There are thousands to whom they are hourly f»_iliar, but who live on, regardless of thoir peril, even as they did who dwelt on the margin of tho romantic JakM which are now seething canVdrons in New Zealand, if theso people -would but realise that in ninety nine ceses ont of > hundred the primary cause of their troubles lies in an abnormal condition of the kidnSys, they could readily set themselves right Warner's safe cure ii the acknowledged remedy under such conditions. By its .ue the poisonous and corrupt elements in the blood are purged from the system, and the fire and taint which nourish and premotl disease cease to exist. Pre f rssor Ellery is of opinion that unless the convulsion inNev Zealand is exhausted locally a wave ot the earthquake may be expected to affect Australia. Bu'j however that may be, wo have the consolation of knowing that there most be a termination to the disaster. Not so with disease Buch as we have indicated) unless we are wise enough to fortify putselves against attack by the use of the mcomparable remedy above named. Then; secure against tbe onemy, we may calmly pass through perils of contagion or infection suoh as overcome those who neglect til precautions which' make us armoar;ptoof, evo'i as tho burning ashes and seething mod showers overwhelmed tho unfortunate people who were victims to the terrible disaster at Rotomahana.