The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-02-05

10 I'M kDTrOR on TME VIEW YORK HERALD,
6m;-l commenced this series Of letters with the con-
sideraton Of "catarrh, /" ..sore throat" aud enlarge
n<nt Of the toDsils and uvula, y because these affections
are but the forerunners OF more serious disease within
ue lungs. Let Us nov pass from the throat into the
windpiPe.
The windpipe ia that tube through which the air or
breath passes to and from the lungs. Il. commences 10
~ throat, at the root Of the tongue, and extends down
- me lungs, where IT divides into two bran;hes, one Of
vhach enters the right, and the other the left lung.
9nese branches again snbdivide into innumerabls smaller
Tubes, which ram,fy in every direction, through the sub
stance Of the lungs; and fnaDy terminate in little clus-
tsrs Of cavities, which are formed around their extsemi.
mes nke grapes around Their item. These are the
pipe Is composed Of two parts; or rather-we give dif-
issent nanes TO different parts Of the same tube Thus,
the FIRST or upper part is called the larynS, and the low
er part the trachea. The larynx commences at the root
Of tbe tongue, and extends down below that remarkable
prominence on the front OF the neck Of man., known as
the ,'appie Of ADAM" (pomum Adami)-and SO named
BY the ancient a~natomisis, from the ~fanciful idea that it
seprsssntsd the difficulty experienced BY our Primeval
ancestor in ~d.sposing OF the forbidden fruit.
serving AZ q frame work to protect the delicate organs Of
voice. Being furnished with vibrative chords, IL forms .
perfect musical in strument, more or Less under the con-
tsol Of the will. By the perfect acton OF these chords,
the vocalist and the speaker are enabled to produce that
06nity Of sound which conduces 10 much 70 our enjoy.
ment, makes man ineligible to his fellows, md displays
the goodness of the Divine Architect.
The entrance into the larynx 10 closed BY a little valve,
which rises up from tbs root Of the tongue; this IL the
"epis)ottis.'' On the approach Of food or drink, this
httie sentinel shuts down, and allows the nutrimtnt 70
pass on to the stomach. Below the vocal chords, which
as satuated three f0urths Of an inch below the entrance,
tbs hsynx ~enlargss, becomes irregular, and soon ends in
fhs name larynx IL applied, Is not more than from one
and . half to two inches. ! trust this brief outline OF
the anatomy will render what follows more intellisible.
ACUTE LARYNGTIS.
This 10 one Of the most terrible Of mslsdies. There are
but few, indeed, Of those who have been its subjects
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS mighty genius, at whose
snr.ns every American bows with mingled feelings Of
havs many dissinguishsd physicians.
Laryngrtis ia on OF the mucous membrane
o. the iaGyn1: It begins as 2 sim pie sore throat or gum,
with this there 10 an indescribable rsstlessness and
anxiety Of cOuntsnsnce: Soon a difficulty Of breathing
ing. The voice is st hrst husky, then gradually becomes
more and more i~ndistinct, until the patient can speak
BY the air in rsspiratior, and each attempt to cough
results in an imperfect, s~trangled kind Of sound. On
l6sing asked for the seat Of his suffering he points to the
hvid, the eyes protrude and are rolled about from one
point to another in restless despair. He signs for the
window 10 be raised, losses himself and gasps for breath,
then gradually falls into q state Of stupor, the last
tsken Of failing life being the rattle of st,angulation.
mis- 10 the usual course Of the disease when II TERMINATES
The treatment Of acut. ,~yrypgitis, has, l conceive,
been much improved within the hast ten years. The old
routine, bleeding from the arm, calomel, purges and
kechss to the neck, will end In failure in three cases out
Of -four. j DO NOT mean to say that IL ia not often advisa.
hle TO bleed and beneficial to purge, but ! do mean to say
that il something more DO not done there are three
chances Tor the patient to die to one that he VII re-
direct local application to the part affected, by the
shoveriDg syringe, charged with . strong astringent solu-
ton Again ana again, At inter walls OF q few hours,
sent danger is pact In the interim, between the
applications, anodyne and emollient inhslatons,
.sisssis Instrument, quiet sDjoined, and q diet Of water
Cruel, which, together with go,d nursing, win complete
the victory, and rescue the patient from the jaws Of q
just reverse the rule Of the other treatment, by saving
what that would lose. But the fourth, from not ha wing
been seen sufficiently early, from the severity Of the
disease, or rom the nature Of the general health, would
not Be saved, even BY local applications, and the use Of
nature = prove too Z feeble s,sis't to % rsny. Now, what is to be be
done in the foG nth casef The patient is s~trangling. He
u dying, not because the vital powers OF the bojy are
destroyed by disease, but for want of air The cause Of
death woulo scarcely be more mechanical, if a rope were
put about his neck, and gradually frightened. The upper
part Of the windpipe Ii being closed up. We must give
Sbe patient air, and this can only be done by the opera
zion Of " trscE eotomy,' - which means, in plain Eughsh,
cutting q hole into the ~windpipe below the diseased part:
The moment the opening Is made, and the air admitted
- The iuDgs, the most sensible relief 10 experienced. Tue
anxiety Of the eount.nance %vanishes, and with it the
ysstlessDess and tossing about. Soon exhausted nature
Aads repose in sleep, on awakening from which the poor
safsy.r stsres about him with A. great as~tonishmeut A.
though he had actually ristn from the dead. Whoever
he's been present on sueh an occasion, will accord high
honor to this triumph Of the healing art. Had this sim
Pc operation been performed IN the case Of Washington
errors Of the past become the light Of the present. The
science Of med,cine rests upon the ruins Of q thousand
theories and false practices. And when, on every hand,
We see durable disss ses battling the highest authority OF
established schools, eau We doubt that many Of the dog
has still maintained, must yield to more successful OK
cnaozlc LAKyScrrIs, COMMONLY CALLED "cLERoyMAS's
SORE rHRoAr.D
This Ia, by far, the most important form OF the disease,
sscs il springs from slight causes, and is a very coamon
and most distressing mslady. j. always ends in more or
loss injury 10 the voice, aud, too frequently, in con-
aunption. The ~ mptoms are generally very mid in
the commencement, and liable to mislead into the idea
that there Is NO d,nger. sometkr es a little pain is felt
IN the lsrypx, ba more commonly only a tickling sensa-
ton, which provokes coughing. Mspy persons complain
OF sense Of something sticking there, aud to get rid Of
Il 4Anp - nun.A 81 vvt~Y aud alagptny ~ A
Usuaiiy we End n striking change IN the breathing and
IN the voice The breathing becomes loud and prelong
ed ~ the obstruction increases, and when IL has become
considerable We have . peculiar stridulous sound. The
voice Ia almost always changed-at first II is hoArse, ana
theI gradually becomes more and more feeble as the
ton Of the vocal chords takes place We have a total loss
Of voice.
These symptoms are only present in the severer ferns
Of chronic lary nsitis. In the majority OF cases only y
feeling Of obstYu :tion Ia expert, need, and the effort TO
conversation with a friend. One Of the Grst effects pro.
duced in the mucous membrane by chronic ~laryngitis Is
thickenng. Is surface becomes hard, rough and IRE
Gular, winch, extending TO the vocal clords, destroys
their freedom Of action.
Chronic laryngitis very frequently occurs from Excess
sye use Of the voice. This form OF the disease Is very
eonnon in clergymen, lawyers, and all public speakers.
The vocal organs, y strain,os and over use, becoue ex-
hsusted and 'o,e their tone There are various phiSe.
voice, from which many clergymen painfully su1cr every
Sabbath, TO those destructive uicerat ems Of the c,r.t
lagos, marked by the total loss of voice, severe, Add al
most constant cough, and expectcrations Of frothy mu-
cous, mingled with pus. The most intimate connection
exists between affections OF tue taroat and those Of the
larypx. The reason Ia easily understlo d. Every breata
you draw, passes directly from the infamed throat into
The larynx They form but different parts OF the same
tsb1, and are lined by q common membraae-one over
which limitations spread rapidly. Again, the parts are
in immediate contact, and the mucous secretcd in tue
throat, becomes entansles about the epigIottis aud en-
trance into the larry nx, and il often drawn In by one Ia.
sphAtion, and forced out by the next aspiration. Cnro.
nc hrybgitis often occurs In advanced stages OF con
somption, from the irritation produced by the matter
discharged by the luDgs. Occurring AZ a consequence Of
fubercles, IL 10 one OF the most distre ssiny compltcA atoms,
and sdjs 9oubly 70 the patients distress. In this form
there ~ Always more or less liberation about tho vocal
chords, beginning ON the lower side, and gradually ex.
tending upwards. There ulcers often penetrate through
the mutous and cellular membrane, 10 volving the mua.
cular tissues, and no. unfrequently attack the Igs.
nents and cartllages themselves.
TREATMENT.