The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-11-22
SYMPTOMS OF ClTARRB.
BY DOCTOR FOSTER,
NOW rrNCrICfNG AT rnE
PHILLIPS HOUSE, DAYTON.

CArAHRn is y disease Of the mucous mem
hrGnc of the nasal passages aud those caVi-
ties of the head communicating with them.
insignificant as IL appcarsin its first stages,
10 Is apt in its progress TO become instrll-
mental in causing the loss or impairment
Of smell, taste hearing, ami sight, and In
creating serious constitutional derange-
mcnts not mlirqucNtiy terminating mi
consumption.
At the commencement OF the malady, the
symptoms are those ofan ordinary cold, A
feeling Of irritation scnsitivcncss. heat orI
pain is experienced in the nose. the edges
ofwhich 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 itcithcr|
difficult or impossible. This condition
Is accompanied by II frequent desire to
sneczc, aud u discharge of, at first clear,
acrd water. afterwards Of proiusC thick,
NeliOWish aud extremely offensive matter.
This secretion becomes purulcnt and in
creased in quantity rs the complaint pro-
greascs, assumes an exceedingly tetid odor
and forms one Of the most characteristic
features ofthC disease. and a source of the
greatest annoyance and danger. Ii escapes
not only by the nose. but passes into the
throat producing by its ludgmcnt local
tion, hawking, or scraping for its removal.
As its passage into the throat is very much
facilitated BY horizontal position of the
body, sleep is frequently disturbed by
sensation ni choking I'm consequence, and
many are obliged to lie in Il scmi-rccum-
bent position to obtain necessary reposc.
Owing to the Inflammation and heat in the
head, the watery portion of the discharge
often cvapOratcs, and the rest, assuming
condition of sOlidity, is deposited upon the
lmeHhraBc of the nose and upper part Of
the throat in the shape of cruSts or hard
encd humps The accumulation of these in
lcrustations produces feeling of discom-
/ fort, hndnarrOws the nasal passages so as
| to cmbarrass respiration, therefore. fre-
qucnt efforts are required 10 remove them,
either by lorcibly blowing the nose or by
persistent hawking, practice rs disagree
able tU the one affected rs it is to those
around lin. That side of the incrustatI ion
| which adhered to the mucous membrane.
viii, after its removal, sometimes be found
bloody, a fact which explains the force re-
quircd for its dislodgment. During sleep
| these incrustatiOns accumulate more rap
| idly, and the feeling is therefore most un7
comfortable in the morning. Sometimes
| all efforts to clear the throat are futile un-
| til after breakfast, or after some stmWant
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 fctid
| and sickenng Odor, and becomes occasion-
ally so offensive ms to render the patient an
object ofdisgust TO himself as well rs to
others.
The accumulation of the discharge. to-
gether with the thickened condition of the
mucous membrane, renders respiration
| through the nasal passages very difiicult,
and oftGntimcs impossiblr ucccssitatinp
respiration principally through the mouth
IA method very deletcrious 70 the general
health, but more particularly. so TO the
lungs which become weak and irritable.
| The voice loses its musical quality, and as
sumcs discordant, harsh, and nasal char
actcr; tho 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
n cracking or bubblng sound is heard in
the ears, and hearing becomes quite thick
| or stopped up, but returns suddenly, with
! something like a Swapping sound. This
phcnomenon may be repeated several times
until hearing docs not return, but remains
| permanently injured. Ia other cases hear
ling is lost 50 gradually that considerable
| degree of deafness may exist before the
| person IL really aware of the fact. Either
condition is often accompanied with noises
! in the head of every conceivable dcscrip-
tion, materially increasing the distress Of
the sufferer.
ThceyesarG aptto become weak, irritable
and disposed to water on exposure to cold
and wind, or after the slightest cXcrtion.
a pain, more or less acute, or II 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 it is very
often mistaken. The distress in the head
Weakens the memory and produces irrita-
! bility and mOrOsencss 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 prostratcd. This is
manifested by a disposition to drowsincss
and sleep, aversion to either physical or
mental eXcrtion, and n feeling of fatigue
and weakness.
| Not unfrequently catarrh proves fatal,
either by debilitating the system and wear
ring out the patient or by travelling down
ward and producing tnTOLU affections.
bronchitis, and, finally, CONSUMPTION. 1t
may be safely asserted that, after heredita-
ry predisposition, catarrh is the most
frequent apd important cause of this fatal
complaint.
The symptoms Of catarrh vary consider
ably ID different individuals, the degree of
! their severity depending constitution
| al idiOsyncrasics and various external in
| ilueuccs With some the complaint con-
ltinucs for a numbcrot years in mild form,
and without causing any Of the injurious
results above described, while with Others
/ nh the worst effects are produced in a short
space Of time and cases apparently most
/ harmless may, through iniprudent expo
sure. additional cold, or untayorable
changes Of the weather, suddenly exhibit
all the violence and maliguity wEich char
iacteriHe the acycrCst ones.
/ Witlrsome persons this disease becomes
/ pcriodical athckiugthem regularly 0tccr-
/ Tain seasons each year rs in the early part
4 of -prnsc when thvIosc are In bloom, and
ihcucc its name rose catarrh;" or in mid
summer during hgyiug time, when it is
! knOWnHs "hay y-catTrb.' Some claim to
bc aUic to predict the cSuct dly and even
/ hour ofthu attack. They usually consider
ithcniscNrs entirely relieved Of the difficult
/ fIttYts,r tIrD Intervals. btt $40 how, no..