Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-07-29
miscellaneous.
CATARRH AND ITS COMPLICATIONS.
BY NJ. NJ. LEAHY, NJ. ID.

Catarrh is the most common and the
least tractable of all diseases. 1t is es-
sentially progressive disease and its end
is that most fatal of all human maladies,
consumption. More than nine -tenths of all
cases of so called consumption, arise
from catarrh, and the registered deaths
from that disease are the result of catarrhal
inflammation which causes the most sure and
terrible obstruction of lung tissue. Notion
ly is consumption (bronchial caused by it
but numerous train of aggravating and
fatal diseases follow; such as blindness,
deafness, ulcers, loss of smell and taste,
and very often insanity.
| Catarrh may be due to many causes, or
any cause that will excite mucous infiam-
nation, but there is only one cause that
will perpetuate real catarrh and that cause
is a vegetable parasite of the amGboid
specie the exact nature of which has not
been fully determined. This may easily be
demonstrated with powerful microscope.
The symptoms are very numerous,
uco-puruent discharge, the blowing out
of dry pieces or scales or viscid, tena-
cious discharge trickling down the thoat at
night. a constant hawking or splitting,
headache, pain in the eyes. dizziness, ring
ing in the ears, palpitation of the heart,
enlargement of the tonsils, liberation Of
the throat, flashes of heat or cold chills. ir-
ritability of temper. The patient feels
easier when sweating, sometimes there is
dry burning feeling accompanied by an
acrid hot discharge. As to the condition
this time, the mucous membrane may be
highly intiamed or may only be slightly
abraded
The second stage of this disease is
Ozena, from the Greek Ozo, | smell, and
very proper name it is. The stencil is
sometimes almost unbearable, not only to
the patient but to his friends or associates.
In Ozena we have all the catarrhal symp-
toms with the stencil added to them. In
the mean time before this stage is fully de-
veloped. the catarrhal poison may have
assembled upward to the ears through the
eustachian tube and caused deafness ormay
have irritated the perifery of the olfactory
nerve or those minute branches which
pass through the cubriform plate of the
ethmoid bone, and caused loss of smell,
neuralgia or even cerebral disturbance,
amounting sometimes to true insanity.
Again. it may take a downward course,
and we have sore throat, bronchitis, tom
silitis and sometimes even spasmodic
closure of the 9sophagus.
| In this second stage (Ozoena) we have
the cartiages and bones undergoing an
ulcerative process and we have here as in
all decayng tissue the oidum albicans
developed this species of Oidia is analo-
gous to the o. Tuckeri that causes the
grape rot, and is seen on apples when they
have been bruised and have begun to de-
cay. This parasite never appears until
the vitality of the tissue has beeu i'm
paired. thus we find it in Group, diphthe-
ria and some other septic diseases.
Ozoena except under antiseptic treat
ment has never been cured but is just as
amenabe to treatment as the first stage,
viz. catarrh, when it is properly treated.
The third stage is bronchial consump-
ton and under common treatment is the
last of earth" the fatal stage.
As have already exceeded my limits |
must close and will defer the discussion
Of this stage to "A future paper, but must
mention few of the evils that follow this
dread disease. Notably among the COM
plications are deafness. clergyman's sore
throat, dyspepsia, mucous diarrhea, bron-
chitis. emphvsema, loss of smell and a
whole class of minor evils. The cure is at
once simple and perfect and that is re-
move the cause. (the paraste) and ma
ture restores the parts, tor it logically fol-
lows that so long as foreign matter re-
mains, so long irritation will exist but
with its removal revolution takes place.
| The removal OF this mass can be accom-
plished at once and every single particle OF
disease creating material can be eradicat-
ed at once and forever by simple and ut
terly harmless method.
Augusta. July %. 1879