SELF-TREATMENT FOR CONSUMPTION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7667, 28 March 1903, Page 4

SELF-TREATMENT FOR CONSUMPTION.

«■ . BY ONE WHO HAS TRIED IT. (By E. G. POOLE, in the " Daily Mail'.") In the summer of 1902 I consulted my doctor, and subsequently a specialist, about a cough which had been troubling me for some time, and received from them, both the verdict which, although it is pronounced upon one person in every ten at some time or another, is always very disquieting — in shoi-t, that I was suffering from pulmonary consumption, both lungs 'being affected ; and this diaigno-sis was confirmed by bacteriological examination of the sputum. I was strongly recommended to go to cne or other of the new sanatoria now established for the " open-air treatment," and the specialist assured me that in no other way could I hope to check the disease. 1 found, on inquiry, that to go to a sanatorium would cost me at least four guineas a. week, unless I could get into one of the charitable institutions, for which I should probably have to wait some months. As lour guineas a> week was out of the question in my case, and as I did not want to wait until I was too bad for any treatment other than burial, I decided to see what I could do for myself, with the help of fresh air. I selected the Channel Islands, as providing the suitable climatic conditions, nind the result fully justified the selection.' On Auguf-t 15 I left London for Jersey in a very lt;-\v state of health. My temperature at that tim-3 used regularly to rise to 100 degrees in the evening, and my cough was very troublesome. My first concern was to find a cheap and suitable plaice to settle down in, and I at last selected the little town of St Aubir.s, on the bay of -the same name. The doctors instructions were that I should live in the open air as much as possible, have- absolute rest, except for a little easy exercise every day, and ea"t as much food, especially fatty food, as I could rnarhage. I will now proceed to show how far I was able to carry out these instructions. I hrtd the windows of my sitting-room and" 'bedroom always open to the fullest extent, except for a few miuutes after I came in ficm exercise, when I would shut them ai little, and also when dressing and undressing. My bedroom was at the top of the house, and looked out seaward. It was a long, narrow room, with two windows, and these I had open all night to the fullest extent, at the bottom, so that I lay with my j face about three feet from the aiperture. Of I course, I was careful to put all curtains out of the way, so as not to impede the free flow of the air. I got up in the morning at 9 o'clock, and first of all took my temperature, of which I kept a chart to send to the doctor; then after a good sponge down and dressing, I had breakfast, over which I' took plenty of time. After breakfast I walked out slowly to one of the beautiful little sheltered bays, of which there are several within easy distance of St Aubins • then I would sit -down in the sun, and read the newspaper, or dream the morning aiway. The afternoon I spent in a lounge chair on the flat roof of the house, in the sun again, writing letters and reading. In the evening I used to stroll about the one street of the town, and up and down the piers of the little harbour, waiting for the London morning paper, which used to arrive about nine o'clock. Then a litjht supper, and to •bed about ten. "After a rather busy life in London, I found this doing nothing rather hard work, at first, but after a time I got quite to like' it. Sometimes I would extend my walks a little, but then I used to take my temperature directly on coming in, and if it went abovd 100 degrees I knew that I had; done too much. After the first week my coiigh had almost entirely disaippeared, except for occasional fits, and I had gained l£lb in weight. I stayed at St Aubins six weeks, during which I gained on an average l£lb a week in weight, and my temperature came down ,to 97 degrees in the morning, and very rarely went abovernormal in the evening. . Then I thought I would like a change ; so I removed to the sister island of Guern-. sey. _ I stayed in Guernsey seven weeks, and then 1 returned to London, not with any idea of remaining, but to see my doctor, and to know definitely how I was going on. The doctor examined me thoroughly, and I was much gratified to learn that not only had the disease been checked, but that he could find nothing active. My weight when I left for Jersey was lOst o£lb, and when I returned, after being away only thirteen weeks, it was list; 2lb, and so far I have not lost anything. Although I am in business in London, I live in the country, and still continue to carry out the open-air treatment as far as possible, in spite t>f the prejudice which seems to exist against fresh air in railway compartments, etc.