The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-02-06
NERVOUS COUGH

Using the term in Its true sense,
nervous cough is cough due TO irri-
tation Of nerves or a nerve, and not !,
Just willfll or intentional or make
believe couch.
Young Bill, the busting grocery
clerk, had o nervous cough, Is IL
finally turned out, but for q while
he kept me worried. His coughing
spells were pretty severe, but, try
as might I could discover no trou-
BILE In his nose, throat, laryTlX,
bronchi or lungs to account for 1t.
But for the fact that Bill paid me
q fee every time / examined him I
might have suspected he was up to
some game. But one fine morning
Bill came In with new symptom
roaring In his ear and deafness in
the ear, which developed after mis-
Saturday night bath. In the ear I
found large plug Of cerumen, ear
wax, which swelled when water en-
tered the ear, and caused the roar
ing and the deafness. While ! was
removing the plug. every time my
instrument touched the rear wall
Of the outer ear canal Bill would
cough to beat the band. A small
branch OF the great vagus (pneuino-
gastric, tenth craniaD nerve which
supplies lungs, stomach, bronchial
tubes, larypx (voice box) and
pharynx (throat), base Of tongue
and soft palate. Removal Of the
plug Of wax brought immediate ces-
sation of Bits cough.
In a great many instances very
slight irritation in the back Of the
nasal cavity, the roof of the pha-
rynx or the larynx itself will cause
o great deal Of coughing. The
coughing itself may make the sides
Of the chest sore and such soreness
often gives rise to the fear Of pneu-
monia, pleurisy or some serious
condition. It Is odd how coughing
due to some slight irritation at the
back Of the nasal passage or the up
per part Of the throat feels to
the subject as though 1t comes from
away down deep.
It Is a common practice and q
bad one, in my opinion, to resort to
cough medicine containing one or
another sedative or narcotic to re-
lieve such severe or harsh cough
ing, when the individual has, say
acute coryza or acute pharyngitis,
or perhaps an acute lighting up Of
a chronic sinus or throat trouble.
A simple local remedy for ''nerv-
Gus" cough Is q drop or two Of plain
glycerin on the back Of the tongue,
as often as may be needed. This
Is perfectly harmless for child or
| adult.
In general 1t is better to do MOTH
ing about cough merely because
there Is cough. Ordinarily cough Is
itself beneficial, hence It is unwise
to try to suppress 1t unles you
know precisely what Is causing II.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
LeukOplakia
Can you suggest anything at all
for white patches In the MOUTH
think the doctor calls them Luke.
plaque or something like that?
20. 81
Answer-Radium treatment has
given the best results. OF course
you must stop smoking. Smokers
patches" Is q common name Tor
leukoplakia. Electric-c agulation IL
best in some cases. A report pub"
lished years ago said that ct Ra.
dunn -hemmet In Stockholm they
were no longer using radiun1 treat
ment for leukoplakia but instead
giving patients gram eabout one
fourth teaspoonfuD Of magnesium
sulfate Epson salts) three times a
day for three months, with excel.
lent results.
Whoa, Men
Ben Told can't expect any help
for my rheumatism until have the
last Of my six teeth pulled. have
your folder on arthritis and am go
ing to follow your suggestions as
soon as get my teeth out.
(Mrs. E. -
Answer-If you haven't sacrificed
them vet, Ma'an, my advice Is
DON'T. At least don't give up q
single tooth without having the eX-
pert advice Of your physician and
your dentist about it. Especially If
you have only six of your own
teeth left. And II you do decide to
have six teeth extracted, have only
two extracted, wait two weeks, then
two more, and wait two weeks, then
two more. Don't have them all ex-
tracted ct one time.
Copyright, 194S, John F. Ollie Coz