The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-03-07
Symptoms of Catarrh
BY A. P. LIHGTHILL. MD.

The first sensation is usually feeling of drvpess
and heat in the nose, and frequent inclination to
sneezing There is an inability to breathe freely.
as the nose becomes stopped up sometimes on one
SIDE sometimes on the other. El
Soon a clear watery, acrd discharge makes its ap-
pearance, excoriating the nostrs and edges of the
Inns. which become red and somewhat swollen AZ
ter few days, the discharge becomes thick, yellow
ish, extremely frequent, and continues to be q
marked feature of the disease, and source of much
danger and the greatest annoyance After more or
less time, it becomes puruent highly offensive, and
assumes an extremely fetid odor It's usually so
profuse to require when confined to the nose, the
frequent application of the handkerchief or, II 1t
drops into the throat which is more particularly
the while the body isin horizontal position.
constant expectoration, and sometimes both j.
Sleep is frequently disturbed by q sensation Of
choking caused by the presence of the discharge in
the throat. Owing to the heat in the head, the wa
terry portion Of the secretion often eyaporates and,
assuming condition Of solidity, is deposited upon
the membrane of the nose and upper part Of the
throat, in the shape of crusts or hardened Jumps.
The accumulation of these incrustations produce
feeling of discomfort, and the nasal passa-
ges as to embarrass respiration. Therefore fre-
quent efforts have to be made to remove them, eth
u W AotOAulJ ulUWlhS AVoO, VI Uy PERSISTENT
hawking-a practice as disagreeable to the one af-
fected it is to those around him. After the remov
al that side of the incrustation which adhered to
the mucous membrane will sometimes be found
bloody, fact which explains the forcerequi for
its dislodgement. During sleep these inerustatons
accumulate more rapidly, and the feeingis thereto
most uncomfortable in the morning. Sometimes all
efforts TO clear the throat are futile until after
breakfast or after something warm is swallowed.
Some patients state that they not successful
til they have swallowed some whiskey or brandy
This discharge, which is at FIRST without smell, as
sumes in the progress of the complaint excessive
y fetid odor the breath participates in this and be-
comes occasionally reyoltingly offensive as to
render the patient object Of disgust to himself
well as to others. liberation of the mucus mem
brane of the nose takes place frequently sometimes
even attacking the bones, when small particles of
that substance will occasionally be found mixed
with the discharge. The accumulation of the dis
charge together with the thckened condition of the
mucus membrane, renders respiration through the
nasal passages very difficult, and oftentmes mpos-
sible, necessitating respiration principally through
the mouth-a method very deleterious to the gener-
al health, but more particularly to the lungs,
will be shown hereafter. The unpleasant noise pro-
duced during sleep, known as snoring, originates
from the same cause. The voice loses its musical
quality, and assumes discordant, harsh and nasal
character; the sense of smell becomes much IMPAIR
ed or entirely lost, and the same effect though less
frequent, is produced on the sense Of taste Occa-
siOnally, while blowing the nose, cracking or bub-
bling sound will be heard nthe ear and hearing will
be found quite thick and stopped up, but returns
suddenly with something like swapping sound.
This phenomenon is usually repeated until, at one
time, hearing does not return, and remains perma-
nently injured. Noises in the head, of every con-
ceivable description, will make their appearance
and add to the distress of the sufferer and hearing
may be lost so gradually that considerable degree
of deafness may exist before the person is really
aware of the fact. The eyes apt to become weak
irritable and disposed to water exposure to cold
and wind, or after the slightest exerton. A pain,
less acute, distressing feeling of press.
ure, is experienced over the eyes, and sometimes on
the top or back of the head, and also pain in the
face, closely resembling neuralgia, for which it is
very often mistaken The distress in the head very
often weakens the memory and produces irritability
and moroseness of disposition The stomach gener-
ally suffers less, is weak and irritable the
appetite is capricious, and is nearly always bad in
the morning, In severe cases the system becomes
feeble and Frustrated and there an aversion or in
ability to either physical or mental exertion. Not
unfrequently catarrh proves fatal, by facilitating
the system and wearing out the patient or by trav-
cling downwards and producing throat affections,
bronchitis, and finally consumption. 1t may be
safely asserted that after hereditary predsposition
catarrh is the most frequent and important cause of
this fatal complaint zoo * yEfiE ry44ra lfq
Catar RI has been considered an incurable disease,
and the strength of that supposition has been
neglected by both the profession and the public IA
it is the exciting in full half the cases of deaf
ness, Drs. Lighthill have for years past made its
proper treatment their special study, and have by
their success fully established the durability Of this
offensive complaint = saaaeA