Daily Health Service I COUGH IS WARNING SIGNAL 1 I B By DR MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal of ot the American Medical Med Med- ical leal Association and of ot the Health Magazine l A cough is a sign that there is some interference with breathing The interference interference in- in ma may be in the throat due to 10 o tickling from mucus it may be in m inthe he the lungs due to obstruction of oC some of or the passages from the lungs into he the throat or it may be some involvement involvement involvement involve involve- ment of the nervous system reaching the he ti tissues sues involved in coughing Probably most ordinary coughs arc are due to irritation at the back of the throat and represent an attempt by the bod body to throw out the irritating I substances Coughs are sometimes associated I I with heart disease when ihen there is a i sufficient amount of or fluid accumulated accumulated in the lungs b because cause of oC 1 the in inability inability inability in- in ability of or the heart to push the fluid around in the circulation I Almost every mother knows ways of oC relieving a cough One of or the best bestis I is to inhale steam from water waler to I which a few drops of the compound tincture of have been added This merely relieves the tension Inthe in inthe inthe I the tissues and soothes them it is not nota a cure for Cor the basic cause o of the I cough Hot lIot drinks produce a similar I relaxation of or the tissues and since the cough is usually associated with some infection it is customary to 10 add the he juice of lemon orange e or grapefruit grapefruit grape- grape fruit ruit to 10 help out the of he the body and to make the flavor lavor of the drink more agreeable I If It a cough is associated with the production of or a considerable amount of material that is expectorated the person aerson certainly demands most careful careful care care- ful CuI medical attention Such material material material mate mate- rial may indicate an infection in the throat or in m the lun lungs s with the for Cor formation mation matlon of or pus It may lOd indicate cale a serious inC infection eUon o of the nose or of the sinuses with the infectious material material mate mate- rial ial dropping back into the throat I It may indicate an nn infection in the throat itself as sometimes occurs with I an abscess in the tonsils A cough must therefore be considered not asIn asIn as as' asin In itself a d disease se but as a warning I signal ringing like a bell to indicate that danger lurks elsewhere The detection detection de de- de- de lection of that d danger provided the cough does docs not yield readily to the j I simple measures that have been suggested sug- sug sug-l sug is a problem that will demand I Ithe the most careful ul study by a 3 competent competent competent compe compe- tent physician