The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 172 of 653free from a hacking cough and a constantly increasing dyspnoea.Even if bronchitis sets in violently at the outset, it never chanall at once to capillary bronchitis and pneumonia, — which may, athe same time, serve as a proof that an incipient catarrh, whichhappens to exist before the whooping-cough, does not necessarilyconstitute the preliminary stage of this disease, — but the signsTussis Convulsiva, Pertussis, 197this antoward change do not set in until the cough has lasted fordays and even weeks. In such a case the little patient does notentirely recover from the attacks, he grows languid and feverish,has a short and dry cough, he does not wish to rise from bed, thepulse is hurried, the respiration becomes more and more incomplete, more hurried ; he feels drowsy and tosses about. If thesesymptoms manifest themselves in the later course of the disease,they always augur danger and very commonly lead to a fatal termination.A severe bronchitis as well as lobular pneumonia very commonlylead to a more or less extensive deterioration of the pulmonarycells ; if this deterioration is quite considerable, percussion yan unmistakably dull sound, and auscultation yields bronchialrespiration. But these symptoms must not be attributed to pneumonia, for in such a case their importance would be much less.Cerebral diseases are scarcely ever caused by the direct action owhooping cough ; existing diseases of this kind may become fatallaggravated by the cough. The convulsions which often attacklittle children during the course of whooping-cough, are more correctly attributed to the influence of whooping-cough over the whonervous system, and, on this account, may become lasting. Theapparently violent congestions of the head during the paroxysmsare of very little importance to the brain of a perfectly healthychild, but they prognosticate trouble, if the brain was diseasedbefore the cough set in.Acute heart-disease is seldom one of the complications of whooping-cough. On the other hand, the development of tuberculouspulmonary aflTections is a very common thing. Usually, however,these aftections existed before the cough set in, although manycases occur where the cough 'occasions the deposition of tuberculmatter in individuals predisposed to this disease.Emphysema does not occur as frequently as is generally supposed.A deterioration of the air-cells is very often mistaken for emphysema. Post-mortem examinations have, however, frequently confirmed the fact that emphysema may set in very suddenly.Spasm of the glottis is a tolerably rare occurrence in whoopingcough, at least it does not occur in a high degree of intensity ;does, it is always a very ominous complication which may suddenlyterminate fatally.Beside the complications the frequently occurring sequelae mayprove very dangerous to the patients. Among them we distinguishhttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt