The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-09-07
SYMPTOMS or ClTARRA.
sY DOCTOR FOSTER,
ai-or How PRAoTIoNe AT TnE
PHILLIPS HOUSE, DAYTON.


] CATARRH Is disease Of the mucous mem-
brane OF the nasal passages and those cavl-
ties of the head communicating with them.
lnsigniticant as It appearsi IN its first stages,
u Is apt IN Its progress TO become instru-
mental IN causing the loss or impairment
of smell, taste, hearing, aud sight, aud IN
creating serious constitutional derange-
ments' not unfrequently terminating In
consumption. E
At the commencement of the malady, the
symptoms are those of an ordinary cold. A
feeling of irritation, sensitlVeness, heat or
pain Is experienced In the nose, the edges
otwhlch are red aud swollen, and which Is
stopped up sometimes on one side, some
times on the other, aud occasionally on
both, rendering respiration through itelsher
difficult or Impossible. This condition
Is accompanied by a frequent desire 10
sneeze, and q discharge of ut first clear,
acrid water, Afterwards of q prOfuse thick,
yellowish and extremely offensive matter.
This secretion becomes purulent and In
creased In qhantity as the complaint pro-
gresses, assumes an exceedingly fetid odor
and forms one Of the most characteristic
features of the disease, aud q source of the
greatest annoyance and danger. IL escapes
not only by the nose but passes into the
throat. producing by its lodgment local
irritation, and requires frequent expectora-
ton, hawking, or scraplng for Its removal.
As its passage into the throat Is very much
facilitated by a horizontal position of the
body, sleep Is frequently disturbed by a
sensation of choking Ia consequence, and
many are Obliged to lie In u semi-reeum-
bent position to obtain necessary repose.
Owing 20 the inflammation and heat In the
head, the watery portion of the discharge
often evAporates, and the rest, assuming a
condition Of solidity, IL deposited upon the
membrane of the nose and upper part of
the throat In the shape Of erusts or hard
ened Jumps. The accumulation of these in-
crustatiohs producega feeling of dlscom-
fort and narrows the nasal passages so IA
to embarrass respiration, therefore. fire.
duent efforts are required to remove them,
either by forcibly blowing the nose or by
persistent hawking, o practice as Disagree
able to the one affected as 1t Is to those
around him. That side OF the incrustation
which adhered to the mucous membrane.
will, after its removal, sometimes be found
bloody, q fact which explains the force re-
quired for Its dislOdgment. During sleep
| these incrustations accumulate more rap
idly, aud the feeling Is therefore most un-
comfortable In the morning. Sometimes
all efforts TO clear the throat are futile un-
til after breakfast or after some stimuant
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. iY l-e nfr
The breath assuming an excessively fetid
and sickening odor, and becomes occasion
ally so offensive as to render the patient ar
object of disgust To himself as well Ms tC
others. ls.tI
The accumulation of the discharge, to-
gether with the thickened condition of the
mucous membrants, renders respiration
| through the nasal passages very diiiicult
and oftentimes impossible, necessitatinl
respiration principally through the mouth
Ia method very. deletcriOus 20 the general
health, hut more particularly so TO th,
| The voice loses It's musical quality, and as
sumes discordant. harsh, and nasal char
acter; the sense of smell becomes much
impaired Orentlrely lost, and the same ef-
! feet, though less frequent, Is produced on
taste. Occasionally, while blowing the nose,
cracking or bubbling sound Is heard IN
the ears, and hearing becomes quite thick
or stopped up, but returns suddenly, with
something like q swapping sound. This
|
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 descrlp-
ton, materially Increasing the distress OF
the sufferer.
Theeycsare apt to become weak, irritable
and disposed 20 water on exposure to cold
and wind, or after the slightest exertlon
A pain, more or less acute, or a 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 irrlta-
bility and morOseness of disposition. The
stomach generally suffers more or less, and
becomes weak and irritable; the appetite
is eapricious and nearly always bad in the
morning. IN severe cases the system
becomes feeble aud prOstrated. This ID
manifested by disposition TO drowslness
and sleep, aversion 10 either physical or
mdntal exertion, and q feeling OF fatigue
and weakness.
Not unfrequently catarrh proves fatal,
either by debilitatlng the system and wear
ing out the patient, or by travelling down
ward and producing throat affections.
bronchitis, and, finally, CONSUMPTION. Ii
may be safely asserted that after heredlta-
ry predlspositlon, catarrh is the most
frequent and important cause of this fatal
complaint. .Autvs tIskulAs .T.
The symptoms Of cAtarrii vary consider
ably in different individuals, the degree OF
their severity depending upon constitutions
al idiOsy yncrasles aud various external in
fiuences. 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 cases apparently most
harmless may, through imprudent expo
sure, additional cold, or nnlayorable
changes Of the weather, suddenly exhibit
all the violence aud malignity which char
acteTiEe the seYeTest Onesgle i4est a a %.
| trH .rt H..isi 9af fs,in s, aI.'
With some persons this disease becomes
periodical, attacking them regularly at GER
tain seasons each year, rs In the early part
of spring when the roses are ia bloom, and
hence its name crosse catarrh !" or In mid
summer during haylng time, when Il Is
known rs "hay-catarrh." Some claim 10
be able to predict the exact day and even
hour OF the attack. They usually consider
I