Enlarged Lymph Glands

"What are these lumps in my baby's neck?" is a question of ten asked the dootir. Lumps, or kernels as they are often called, because they feel like grains or seeds under the examining fingers, are lymph bodies, or glands. The system of lymph glands and tubes covers the entire body. If it were exposed to view, it would have the appearance of meshwork. Lyruph ducts lead from the skin, from the mucous membrane, aud from bone to lymph bodies which are further connected with one another by the same means. At any poiut where there is au inflammation, a sore, a breaking of the ekin or mucous surface, there will be 'ound open mouths of lymph ducts into which waste matter is Hable to enter. This waste matter sets up au irritation and an enlargement of the lymph bodies to which it finds its way. It will now be easily understood how such an enlargement or inflammation of the ymph bodies always points to a state of iuflammation at some point, perhaps at a considerable distance from the umps themselves. Thus a felón ou the inger causes enlarged glaods to appear n the armpit. Lumps in the neck may sometimes be plainly traced to eczema of the scalp. iometimes the mouth is the seat of the ;rouble. Large and inflamed tonsils may be present, or the teeth may be decaying. When the ear is the seat of an abscess, either before or during the course of a purulent discharge enlarged glands are conimon. Enlarged lymph bodies just behind the angle of the jaw are sometimes nificaiit of catarrh of tbe nose and the adjaeeut portion of the tliroat. The existence of eularged lymph bodies tor a few days, or sometimes for a longer iuterval, canuot be said to be in itself dangerous. Tbe case is different when lump.s exist for several weeks or longer. They become changed in cbaracter after tbis time and begin to break down aud fonn purulent matter. This stage, too, ia more diffieult to cure, as surrounding tissue may become affected. The skin over the glands is involved and becomes part of the large, soft, red or purplish swelliug, now called an abscess, which eitner breaks or is lanced by the surgeou. These enlargements may become invaded by the tubercle bacilli, trom which consumption of the lungs or a general consumption may develop. During tbe course of an infectious disease, when the glands in the neck sometimes become enlarged, the care of the throat must not be neglected. The use of an antiseptic solution on the affected parts will often produce an irnmediate good result. - Youth's Companiou. It is estimated that during the present century no less than 30,000,000 of oivilized men have perished in war.