The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 116 of 653The chronic form of this catarrh is, like the acute, one of themost frequent diseases both with reference to affections of the rspiratory organs specially, and with reference to all other diseacollectively.This disease befalls children only as an exceptional disturbanceif it does occur in childhood, it is almost always a consequencea more malignant acute disease, especially of croup and diphtheriNor are older people frequently attacked by this disease ; hencesay that middle-aged persons between the ages of twenty and fiftyyears are principally liable to such attacks. Sex has an undoubteinfluence over the disease ; for although women are much less exposed to the unfavorable influences which we shall mention by andby, this does not satisfactorily account for the extraordinary prvalence of the disease among the male sex. Regarding a specialdisposition, we refer the reader to what we have said in the firschapter of this section.Chronic laryngotracheal catarrh is seldom a primary, generally asecondary or consecutive aftection. Primarily this form of catarris caused by the same influences as the acute form, a cold, contiued talking, singing, the constant use of spirits, beer, exposuremarked differences of temperature. Secondarily it may representa slow form of acute catarrh, which is the most frequent cause ofthe chronic form, especially if the individual had several acutetacks in succession ; or else it is a continuation of a catarrhaltion of the nose, fauces, buccal cavity ; or it may result from tconstant irritation caused by repeated ulcerations or adventitiougrowths ; or finally it may be a manifestation of some constitutidisease. In this respect it sometimes accompanies syphilis or amercurial dyscrasia ; most commonly, however, it is a symptom ofpulmonary tuberculosis, so that every catarrh whose persistencecannot be accounted for by any known cause, must necessarily excite the suspicion that the lungs are infiltrated with tubercularmatter.In this affection the anatomical changes are so important for aproper understanding of the symptoms, that we premise a short130 Diseases of the Larynx and Trachea.description of these changes. Usually the mucous membrane isdarker than normally, sometimes the dark tinge is quite considerable ; the membrane is more or less thickened and puffed up. It itraversed by a multitude of engorged vessels and studded withswollen follicles imparting to it a granular appearance. It is coered with a tenacious, gray, yellowish or transparent secretion.subjacent tissues, cellular tissues, muscles, ligaments are swollsoftened. If particular circumstances prevail, the mucous membranulcerates at an early stage of the disease, but almost always aftthe disease has lasted some time. Most commonly we observe asimple erosion in the shape of a superficial exfoliation surroundby a more intensely red border, but without any definite form.These erosions may change to more deeply-penetrating ulcers withblown or puffed edges which eat only in exceptional cases throughthe whole thickness of the mucous membrane. Another form ofulceration arises from the inflammation of the follicles ; in whihttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt