VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5692, 9 August 1886, Page 1

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS.

♦> To the ordinary mind the dread havoc accomplished by such an eruption of nature's forces aB that in New Zealand is hardly conceivable. Only a vague, uncertain idea can be conjured up of the tremendous upheaval of a volcanic disturbance. But the terror which even this faint picture of the truth present £to the mind iB, perhaps, superior to any inspired by other calamities. With storm and shipwreck we are familiar. We accept these disasters as inevitable. To accident by field ,and flood we ate so accustomed that they- excite only a passing agitation and ileeting sympathy. But there ia indeed something awi'ul and stupendous in the action of an earthquake, which paralyses ordinary courage, and breaks down the braveat and most fearless. There is no ■art within the reach of man by which these Titanic convulsions may be checked, subdued, or controlled. In the presence of this great movement, this bursting asunder of bonda that have long held the seething cauldron within -the bosom of the earth in ■bounds, man stands powerless and impotent. Even as they stood, who of old beheld the waters encompassing the earth, swell and sweep over that earth, so stand we_ in the presence of a great earthquake. This is what makes these eruptions of nature so terrible to contemplate. The absolute helplessness of man under such circumstances appals and bewilders the best and bravest. And yet, regarded philosophically, there are terrors as dread .and awful of familiar and daily occurrence. If we only knew how closely we tread upon, the verge of death every day of our lives, this convulsion of nature in New Zealand would appear trifling when placed beside the dangers that beset us on all sides. The lives that were lo3t by this outburst at Eotomahana are as nothing compared to the lives which are daily and hourly lost by disease, neglect, or ill-treatment. We read of sudden deaths every .day in the newspapers. But we feel lictle trouble about these facts, heedless that we ourselves may be in peril of a similar fate. Who expected Sir John O'£hannassy to die bo suddenly, or Jud^e .Fellows, or Judge Barry? Aud we ourselves never suspect that; we may come to a similar pass. We deem &U men mortal but ourselves. If we feel ill we pooh-pooh any sug je c .iaoii of .danger. We ' are f like those wiio, at JtCotomahana, have 1 oeeh living on. the eruat of a volcano for years past. They knew it, but never deemed that there was 'any chance of an eruption Buch as has overtaken them. 80 with us in disease. We forget or ignore the fact tbat perfect health under the coeditions of modern civilioation is impossible* and that only by checking the insidious . approach of disease can we hope to preserve i our life forces unimpaired. Professor 1 William , Egberts, of the Boyal College of Physicians, London, discoursing of Budden death, speaks of the condition of those who euffer as "part of a wide spread tissue degeneration, involving the entice body/' Diseases which culminate in sudden death are slight in origin, slow in development, and are lraceable to minor causes, • which, i£ taken in time, could be driven out of the system. Like the voicano, they feed on themselves, until they burst- forth and bring anaihilation and death to those ia whose blood the fire has existed, tainting and poisoning the whole system. Hereditary taint, and the invisible poison which lurka in the arteries and vessels of the body, are most commonly the causes of the ailment known as heart disease. Bub heart disease is essentially an effect of the degeneration of the system. Sudden death may be traceable absolutely to stoppage of the heart's action, bub the .cause of this is found in the disorganisation

of the blood, debility of tho nervous system, degeneracy of the kidneyß and liver. Heart disease, vertigo, apoplexy, paralysis, are all effects, not causes. The real cause is trace* able to a weakened condition of the body, brought about by the neglect of some vital organ. Twitching and convulsion ! of the muscles, headaches, drowsiness, • dimness of sight and hearing, nausea, i ' persistent hot and dry skin, a peculiar ■ ' transparent appearance of the Bkin, swel--1 ling of the ankles, rheumatic pains, irritaI bility, morose temper, shortness of breath, i nervous dyspepsia — these and a hundred ; other symptoms indicate the presence of , grave danger. There are few who have not i j experienced one or many of these signals ■■ of nature. There are thousands to whom , they are hourly familiar, but who live on, , regardless of their peril, even as they did, , who dwelt on the margin of the romantic i lakes which are now seething cauldrons in i New Zealand. If these people would but realise that in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the primary cause of their troubles lies in an abnormal condition of the kidneys, i they could readily set themselves right. Warner's safe cure is the acknowledged remedy under such conditions. By its use , the poisonous and corrupt elements in the blood are purged from the system, and the fire and taint, which nourish and promote disease, cease to exist. Professor Ellery is of opinion that, unless the convulsion in New Zealand is exhausted locally, a wave of the earthquake may be expected to affect Australia. But however that may be, we have the consolation of knowing that there must be a termination to the disaster. Not so with disease such as we have indicated, unless we are wise enough to fortify ourselves against attack by the use of the incomparable remedy above-named. Then, secure against the remedy, we may calmly pass through perils of contagion or infection such as overcome those who neglect the precautions which make us armourproof, ev«n as the burning ashes and seething mud showers overwhelmed the unfortunate people who were victims to the terrible disaster at Rotomahana.