The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-12-12

Affections OF the InrOat
and Voice, and on all
Diseases, Defects
and DefOrmi-
ties Of
I HE E Y E,
Requiring Medical or Sur
gicai Aid.
|DR.LIGHTHILL
ON CATARRH.
Among civilized communities there is no dis
ease more prevalent more universally offensive,
more productive Of discomfort, or more liable
TO give rise to variety of distressing and dan
gerous complications than Catarrh. In us pro.
gressive stages Of development the senses OF
smell and taste are frequently lost, hearing and
sight often suffer severe injury. Throat Alec
tions. Asthma and Bronchial Complaints ara
successfully introduced, and Consumption is
almost its inevitable result.
Catarrh usually manifests itself at first in the
cavity of the nose but spreading beyond its
primary scat il soon penetrates into every coll,
creyice and cavity of the head with which the
nasal passages communicate, and at length be-
comes dtfused over the entire extent OF thc
muco pulmonary tract.
The earliest, most prominent and character
istic features of CatarTh is discharge from the
head consisting sometimes of clear acrld mud,
but oftencr of thick purulent yellow OF green
ish yellow matter which is usually secreted in
excessive abundance, and assumes very fetid
odor, This purulent substance is discharged
"a a thick offensive fluid, in hard flakes
through the nostrils or throat, and frequently
| by both channels
In many instances the discharge is of a very
tenacious or gummy character adhering to tho
! diseased membrane with gue-like tcnacity, and
is removable only with great difficulty. This
fact is more particularly noticed on rising in
the morning, because during sleep the purulent
secretion hardeus and accumulates with greater
facility.
The efforts to relieve the head at those times
by hawking or blowing the nose, are, therefore
frequently most distressing to the one affected,
and most disagreeable to those around him.
Often they have to be 81 violent and persistent
that the lungs and chest become straiRed and
SORE nausea, retching, and even vomiting en-.
sues, and severe headache or dizziness not unu.
sually follows, and augments the general dis.
tress. In some even the most powerful
efforts may fail to clear the head, until some
food or stimulant is swallowed and after which
| the visCd secretion becomes somewhat sOftened,
and is then discharged more readily.
Again, tho offensive matter concerts into dry,
| hard masses or crusts, which obstruct breath.
| ing, and very difficult to detach, their dis
| Judgment often requiring the most Fiolent
efforts. Sometimes these incrustatioDs come
away in small hard Jumps, or fragments of
deep green tint but occasionally broad and fiat
casts of notable size are expelled, on which
! traces of blood may at times be Observed This
condition is very liable TO run on to serious
liberation, involving a loss Of the bony struc.
ture of the nose, and a subsequent fattening of
| that organ.
In cases where the discharge is copious, and
of loose and fluid character, il frequently dis.
turbS the sufferers rest by tho necessity of FIRE.
quent eXpectOratiOn, because the purulent fluid
is naturally more apt to run into the throat
when, as during sleep, the head is thrown back.
Should expectOration be neglected, "a may coca
sonally happen during heavy sleep, the invalid
ia startled from his rest by a sensation Of cbOk.
ing, caused by the filling up of the throat with
the accumulated secretion from the head
The nasal membrane is usually very much
thickeDed and congested causing the rose to be
stopped uD sometimes on one side, and some
times on the other and often on both giving
rise to 4 disagree BILE stuffy sensation in the
head, and occasionally to violent paroXysms Of
sneezng
The thickened condition of the mucous mem.
brane, and the collection of the purulent matter
in the nasal canals interferes with respiration
through the nose, and oblige persons so affected
to breathe through the open mouth, a practice
very deleteIious at all times, but more particu.
larly so during sleep, which, under such circum-
stances, is always restless and accompanied by
heavy snoring sound
A feeling of fnllness, heat, irritation, soreness
or pain is generally experienced in the nOstrils
near the root of the nose as well "a in the upper
part of the throat above and behind the soft
| palate and headache is rarely altogether absent.
distressing sensation Of heavy weight OF com.
preston is usually complained Of over the fore
above and between the eyes Sometimes pain
is ebstinately fixed in some particular part "a
in the temple, on the top of the head, at the
back of the neck or behind the orbits and occa-
sionally pain manifests itself in the face, Of so
severe q character that il IL frequently mistaken
for neuralgia.
The voice is generally affected and becomes
hoarse muffled, weak or uneven and assumes a
nasal character, or an unpleasant shifting quail.
Z - Ill
quently one OF the symptoms and results Of
Catarrh.
The breath is usually tainted, and assumes
at times, An exceedingly feud and sickening
odor In some cases IL becomes 20 reyoltingly
offensive as to render the sufferer an object OF
disgust to himself as well as TO others.
The sense Of smell is usually blunted or en-.
tirrly lost in Catarrh and similar effect on
taste may be occasionally observed. The eyes
are apt TO become irritable, and disposed
TO water excessively on exposure 70 the cold OF
wind and sense Of WEAKNESS of sight is usu.
ally experienced after slight e1ertions Hear.
ing not unfrequently becomes more or less i'm.
paired. and noises in the head very often add
materially to the existing distress.
The stomach generally suffers more or less,
and becomes weak and irritable; the appetite
is capricious and is nearly always bad in the
morning.
The patients generally complain of lassitude
and fatigue an incapacity for either physical or
mental exeriiOns, a feeling of weight and dis
comfort in the region Of the stomach, and
constant disposition 10 drowsiness and sleep.
The mental faculties are also sometimes slightly
affected. loss OF memory being mere OF less
present.
CatarTh may prove fatal either BY de Silitating
the system and wearing out the patient or By
travelling downward. and producing corsump- /
ten This fact has been so repeatedly noticed
that all experienced practitioners now look upon
Carnrrh a. one Of the mot f-arr,arr an a -