Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1871-12-02
CATARRH.
Its symptoms, Rational Treatment, and
Positive Cure.


Positive Cure.
Statistics show that over one hundred
thousand persons annually die in this
country of Consumption, and there is the
highest medical authority for saying
that with fully one-half, if Not two
thirds of this number, the disease first
commences as Catarrh in the nose or
head, the next step being to the throat
and bronchial tubes-lastly the lungs.
Mental imbecility and insanity are also
among the frequent results of this very
prevalent disease. Catarrh, then, al
though usually considered trivial
affair, is really one of the most serious
diseases to which humanity is liable
not because it is dangerous III itself, but
because of the fatal and dreadful mala-
dies to which it gives rise.
An eminent medical writer says:
Thousands are dying in the morn
ing Of life, with consumption, who can
look back few months to a time when
it was nothing but Catarh. Neglected
when a cure was possible, it has steadily
transformed the feature, of health and
youth into the dull, wan listlessness of
premature age, while the hacking
cough. the torrent of blood gushing
from the lungs, or facilitating night
sweats, proclaim, significantly, that il is
now too late, and that neglected Gatnrh
ends IN tie grage.'
Symptoms Of Catdrh.-In consequence
of frequent attacks of acute Catarrh or
"cold in the head" rs it is usually
termed, the mucous membrane of the
nose and air passages of the head be
come permanently thickened, the mu-
cous follicles or glands diseased, and
their functions either destroyed or very
much deranged. Although Chronic
Catarrh is most commonly brought on
in the manner above stated, it some
times makes its appearance as sequel
and result of typoid fever, scarlet fever,
measles or other eruptive fevers. In
the early stages of the disease the
patient may be annoyed with "only a
slight dropping in the throat" as many
express it, the amount of discharge
from the air passages of the head at
this stage of the disease being only
slightly in excess of health. In some
cases the discharge is thick, ropy
and tough, requiring frequent and
strong efforts in the way Of hawking,
blowing and splitting to remove it from
the throat, where it frequently lodges.
In other cases or in other stages of the
same case, the discharge is thin, watery,
acrid, irritating and profuse. The nose
may be stopped up from the swollen
and thickened condition of the lining
mucous membrane, so as to necessitate
respiration through the mouth, giving
to the voice disagreeable nasal twang.
From the nature of the obstruction in
this condition it is useless for the
sufferer to endeavor to clear the pas
sages by blowing the nose, which only
tends to render bad matter worse, by
increasing the irritation and swelling of
the already thickened lining mem
brane. The swelling of the mucous
membrane does not, in all cases, become
so great as to cause obstruction to res
piration through the affected passages
headache great portion of the time,
or may experience a dull, heavy, dis
agreeable fullness or pressure in the
head, with confusion of his ideas, which
renders him unfit for business, espe-
cially such as requires deep thought and
mental labor. Memory may be more or
less affected, and the disposition OF
those who are otherwise amiable is often
rendered irritable or morose and les
pendent. The mental faculties suffer
to such an extent in some cases as to
result in imbecility or insanity.
The sense of smell is IN many cases
impaired and sometimes entirely lost,
and the sense of Taste more or less
affected. Habitual cold feet, pain and
soreness in different parts of the sys-
tenn, lassitude, drowsiness and general
debility are symptoms which are COM
mon to some stages of the disease.
Hearing may be more or less affected.
The eyes may be weak and sometimes
suffer from attacks of congestion or i'll
hammation, and the patient is heard to
complain of having "caught cold in his
eyes.
The secretion which is thrown out in
the more advanced stages of Chronic
Catarrh becomes so acrid, unhealthy
and poisonous, that it produces severe
irritation and inflammation, which are
followed by excoriation and liberation
OF the delicate lining membrane of the
air passages in the head. Although COM
mencing in the lining membrane, the
Lucrative process eats away and gradrl-
ally extends in depth until it frequently
involves all the component structures
Of the nose-cartilage and bone, as we'll
Us ibrous tissues. As the liberation
eats its way up among the small bones
the discharge generally becomes pro
fuse, sand often excessively fetid, re-
quires the frequent use of the handker.
chief, and renders the poor sufferer dis.
with whom he associates. Thick, tough,
brownish incrustations or hardened
Jumps are many times formed in the
head, by the evaporation Of the watery
portion of the discharge. These Jumps
are sometimes so large and tough that
it is with great difficulty that they can
be removed. They are usually dis
charged every fourth, fifth or sixth day,
but only to be succeeded by another
crop. Portions of cartilage and bone,
or even entire bones, often die, slough
away, and are discharged, either in
large flakes of blackened, half decayed,
and crumbly pieces, or, as is much more
commonly the case, in the form of
numerous minute particles that escape
with the discharge and are unobserved.
1t is painfully unpleasant to witness the
ravages of this terrible disease and OBJ
serve the extent to which it sometimes
progresses. Holes are eaten through
the roof of the mouth and great cavi-
ties excavated into the solid bones of
the face, and in such cases only the best