Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1871-12-22
Catarrh.

teresting and useful little book, post paid by en-
closing one postage stamp to the doctor.
Catarrh.
SYMPToMs.-In the early stages of the disease
the patient may be annoyed with only a slight
dropping in the throat" as many express il, the
amount of discharge from the air passages Of the
head at this stage of the disease being only slight
ly in excess of health. In some the discharge
is thick, ropy and tough, requiring frequent aud
strong effort in the way of hawking, blowing and
splitting to remove it from the throat where it fire.
quently lodges In other cases, or in other stages
Of the same case, the discharge is thin, watery,
aerid, irritating and profuse. The nose may be
| stopped up from the swollen and thickened cond-
ton of the lining mucous membrane, so as TO ne
cessitate respiration through the mouth, giving to
| the voice disagreeabe nasal twang. The disease
sometimes assumes dry form, there being very
little or no discharge, In some cases the patient
suffers from headache great portion of the time,
or may experience dull, heavy, dsagreeable full
ness or pressure in the head with confusion of his
ideas, which renders him quite unfit for business,
especially such as requires deep thought and mem
tai labor, Memory may be more or less affected,
and the disposition of those who are otherwise
amiable is often rendered irritable. or morose and
respondent. The mental faculties suffer to such
extent in some cases as to result in insanity. The
sense of smell is in many cases impaired, and
1 sometimes entirely lost and the senses of taste
and hearing may be more or less affected.
| The secretion which is thrown out in the more
advanced stages of Chronic Catarrh becomes so
acrid unhealthy and poisonous, that il produces
/ severe irritations and inflammation, which are
| followed by excoriation and liberation Of the del
| icate lining membrane of the air passages in the
1 head. As the liberation eats its way up among
the small bones the discharge generally becomes
profuse and often excessively fetid requires the
| frequent use of the handkerchief, and renders the
1 ! 1. ~ L.
those with whom he associates. Thick, tough,
| brownish incrustatons or hardened Jumps are
many times formed in the head by the evaporation
| of the waterv 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 discharged every day or two but
only TO be succeeded by another crop. 1t is pain
fully unpleasant to witness the ravages of this ter
rible disease, and observe the extent to which it
sometimes progresses. Holes nre eaten through
the roof of the mouth, and great cavities excavat.
ed into the solid bones Of the face, and in such
cases only the best and most thorough treatment,
both local and constitutional will check the prog
ress and fatal termination OF the disease.
Only few of the large number of symptoms
which / have described as common to the differ
ent stages of Catarrh will be likely to be manifest
ed at one time in a single case Although they
are all to the disease, in some of its stages
yet thousands of cases annually terminate in
consumption or insanity, and end in the grave,
without ever having manifested one half Of the
symptoms above enumerated
As the disease progresses, or frequently in its
earlier stages, the throat is apt to become affected
1t bhcomes dry, sore or raw, or studded with very
small ulcers, which, as seen through the mouth,
look like small pimples canker sores,n for
which they are often mistaken. The voice may
be more or less affected, especially on exposure
to cold or over-exerton, and hacking cough is
hot unfrequent. Creeping along the continuous
ming mucous membrane of the air passages the
disease gradually extends to the la1yar, and by
the same process of extension the bronchial tubes
and lastly the substance of the lungs in their turn
are diseased and Bronchitis and Consumption
firmly established. Tightness in the chest, with
difficulty of breathing, soreness, darling sharp or
dull heavy pain. or prieky distressing sensation,
accompanied with more or less cough and expec-
toration, are evidence that the bronchial tubes
have become affected, and should admonish the
sufferer that he is noo standing upon the stepping.
stone to Consumption, over which thousands annu.
ally tread in their slow, yet sure, journey to the
! grave.