The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-10-12

CATARRB Is n disease of the mucous mem
brane OF the nasal passages and those cayi-
ties of the head communicating with them.
Insignificant as It appearsin in its first stages,
1t is apt In It's progress TO become instru-
mental In causing the loss or impairment
OF smell, taste, hearing, and sight, and In
creating serious constitutional derange-
ments not untrcqnently terminating In
consumption.
At the commencement of the malady, the
symptoms are those Of an ordinary cold. A
feeling of irritation, sensitiveness. heat or
pain Is experienced in the nose, the edges
(which are red and swollen, and which is
stopped up sometimes on one side, some
| times on the other, and occasionally on
both, rendering respiration through IL either
| difficult or impossible. This condition
Is accompanied by a frequent desire to
sneeze, and discharge of, at first clear
acrid water afterwards of a prOflise thick,
| yellowish and extremely offensive matter.
This secretion becomes purulent and in-
creased In qhantity as the complaint pro-
crosses, assumes an exceedingly fetid Odor
and forms one Of the most characteristic
features of the disease. and source of the
greatest annoyance and danger. It escapes
not only by the nose, but passes into the
throat, producing by its lodgmeut local
irritation, and requires frequent expeetora-
As its passage into the throat Is very much
facilitated by horizontal position of the
body, sleep is frequently disturbed by n
sensation of choking In consequence, and
many are Obliged to lie in n semi-recum-
bent position to obtain necessary reposc.
Owing to the Inflammation and heat in the
head, the watery portion of the discharge
often eyaporates, and the rest, assuming q
condition Of solidity, is deposited upon the
membrane of the nose and upper part of
the throat In the shape of crusts or hard
ened Jumps The accumulation of these in
crustations produces feeling of discom-
/ fort, and narrows the nasal passages so as
to embarrass respiration, therefore, fire.
quent efforts are required TO remove them,
either by fOrcibly blowing the nose or by
persistent hawking practice as Disagree
able to the one affected as it is to those
around him. That side of the incrnstation
which adhered to the mucous membrane
will, after its removal, sometimes be found
bloody, fact which explains the force re-
quired for its dislodgment. During sleep
these incrustatiOns accumulate more rap
| idly, and the feeling Is therefore most UNI
comfortable in the morning. Sometimes
all efforts TO clear the throat are futile nm
Til after breakfast or after some stimulant
has been swallowed. liberation of the
mucous membrane of the nose takes place
| frequently, sometimes attacking the bone
when small particles of this substance will
occasionally be found mixed with the dis
charge.
The breath assuming an excessively fetid
and sickening odor, and becomes OCCASION
ally so offensive as to render the patient an
object of disgust TO himself rs well as to
others.
| The accumulation of the discharge. to-
gether with the thickened condition of the
mucous membrane, renders respiration
through the nasal passages very difficult,
and Oftentimes impossible, necessitating
respiration principally through the mouth
| "A method very deleterious to the general
health, but more particularly so to the
lungs which become weak and irritable
The voice loses its musical quality, and as
sumes a discordant, harsh, and nasal char
acter; the sense of smell becomes much
impaired or entirely lost, and the same eff
feet, though less frequent, Is produced on
taste. Occasionally, while blowing the nose
a cracking or bubbling sound is heard in
the ears, and hearing becomes quite thick
or stopped up, but returns suddenly, with
something like swapping sound. This
phenomenon may be repeated several times
until hearing does not return, but remains
permanently injured. In other cases hear
| ing is lost so gradually that considerable
degree of deafness may exist before the
person Is really aware of the fact Either
condition Is often accompanied with noises
in the head of every conceivable descTip-
ton, materially increasing the distress of
the sufferer
The eyes are aptto become weak, irritable
and disposed to water on exposure to cold
and wind, or after the slightest cXertion
A pain, more or less acute, or n distressing
feeling of pressure 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 IL Is very
often mistaken. The distress in the head
weakens the memory and produces irrita-
bility and moroseness of disposition. The
stomach generally suffers more or less, and
becomes weak and irritable; the appetite
Is capricious and nearly always bad in the
morning. In severe cases the system
becomes feeble and prostrated. This is
manifested by disposition to drowsincss
and sleep, aversion to either physical or
mental exertion, and feeling of fatigue
and weakness.
Not unfrequcntly catarrh proves fatal,
either by debilitating the system and wear
ing out the patient, or by travelling down
ward and producing throat affections.
bronchitis, and, finally, CONSUMPTION. 1t
may De safely assefted tllat, aieer heredlta-
ny predispOsiton, catarrh is the most
frequent and important cause Of this fatal
complaint.
The symptoms of catarrh vary consider
ably In different individuals, the degree of
their severity depending upon constitution
al idiOsyncrasies and various external in-
fluences. With some the complaint CON
tinues for number of years in mild form,
and without causing any of the injurious
results above described, while with Others
all the worst effects are produced IN a short
space of time, and eases apparently most
harmless may, through imprudcnt expo
sure, additional cold, or navomble
changes of the weather, suddenly exhibit
all the violence aud malignity which char
acteTize the seYerest ones.
With some persons this disease becomes
periodical, attacking them regularly at cer-
tain seasons each year, as in the early part
of spring when the roses are in bloom, and
hence Its name "rose catarrh - or in mid
summer during haying time, when II Is
known as 'hay-catarrh." Some claim to
be able TO predict the exact day and even
hour of the attack. They usually consider
q t,,ltatroI ~ fha