Brouchitis.

Southland Times, Issue 9543, 13 June 1887, Page 3

Brouchitis.

There are very few months in the year when bronchitis is not more or less rife among us. This complaint ia, however, notwithstanding its prevalence, little udders tood by the general public It is the fa»bion EO-vadaye, not only with people generally, but also with many medical men, to call *li j cold 3 injwhich ajcough is one of the symptoms —bronchitis. It is really not co. Bronchitis may be contemporary — if we may so phrase it — with an ordinary common cold, A cough is always present in bronchitis ; but bronchitis is not always indicated whenever there is a cough. Before proceeding further it will be well, I in order that we may better understand the j nature of tbe disease, to examine the structure in which the lesion of bronchitis takes place — namely, the lun^s Imagine a large tube consisting of mn=cular and fibrous tit-sue, terminating at one cad ia the throat, at the other end dividing iato tubes, or bifurcating as it is called. TheSe two are again subdivided ; the resulting tubes are subdivided, and so on almost to infinity, terminating at last in little puffedout, bag-like extremities. This mass of tubes, each runniDg into a larger tube, comprises the wbole mechanism which is called the lun^s. It is easy to imagne that in the most minute divisions two tubes have a common wall, and as a matter of fact this ia fo. The first tube in called the trachea, and with it we have nothing to do. Its divicions are cal'ei the larger bronchi : its subdi visions, for a-otnewhac indefinite distance, but at any rate only so far as they can be traced ettily wih the naked eye, are called the smaller bronchi. It, is heie, then, tint the disease bronchitis, or icflim nation of the bioni'tii (the ternaioation 'it is in all medical words always means ' inflammation of) is found. A similar disea : e is no doubt also found in tbe smaller tubes and their terminati ins * it is, however, called by another name, and the symptoms are somewhat d fferent, Bronchitis is not altogether a correct term, for th walls of the bronchi are not affected with inflimmation throughout their whole thickne<«, but oniy the thin liniap: membrane, called the mucous membrane, ia so aff icted. InfUmmalion, then, ut thin mucous membrane causes the minute blood vessel running in its substance to become highly chargted with blood and much congested. This condition, it is easy to see, would cause some swelling aod thickening of the membrane, lessening tbe diameter of tbe tube, and so obstructing the passage of air through it. It also causes the surface to be reddened ia the same manner as we ha^e all observed in in. flamciation of tbe eye, a cor dtion which ie commonly caliecl ' blood-sbot.' Frcm this cungf.ated, blood-charged, awoilen and thickened membrane a eticky, glutinous discharge is pourea forth, forming the expectoration, another symptom of the disease. During the time that the inflammatory condit on is being induced, the patient constantly coughs a hard, dry, backing coiuh, mikiug him complain o F a soreness down the middle of his che«t, shaking the whole, body in the cii rt, yet unable to expectorate. JSo sooner does this dUchsrge appear than the symplouoa abate, the covg\> is ]c*» painful, and though probably frrquent, is far less troublesome — the feverishness subsides. Respecting the poul ices -it is not the drawing power of tbe m-iterial of which the poultice is composed which doee good, but simply Jcbe heat wbicb is h°.ld by its substance, so that by leaving one of these applications on for a long time, ia the hope of its drawing, does as much harm as good ; for no sooner does it get coid tbao it begin* to do harm, and counteracts what good its best has already worked. Put on then a poultice as hot as it ran be borne, not only over a small part of the chrs^, but over ihe whole chest, both back and front, and remove it as coon as its heat tns become absorbs. The medicines used should n^vrr be taken with a view to slop the cough ; co'Jghns; ia na'ure's method of removing the r-ffending mater. and is act up by the irritation of the infix •ed surface. To remove the cough permanently it is necessary to cure ihe innimmation, andjby taking medicine*! which prevent the expectora: ion of the produo s of that infUmmatnn simply extends and intensifies the disease. Tbe medicines should tend to increase eiae oi expectoration, to decrease the viscidity of its compoaition, and to allay aad soothe the irritability of the inflamed membrane, Bronchitis becomes a dangerous disease when the inflammation is bo intense that the mucouß membrane becomes so swollen and thickened that tbe biooi can flow with difficulty through the lungs. We must here explain that all tbe blood in the body is passed through the luoga in the course of its circulation, and is there pu/ified and asrated. Should it pass tbr.mgh less quickly than is natural, its purification is less rapid; :'ts eSect upon the tissues through which it passes :s leas beneficial. The heart h&t to expend more power in propelling it in its cource, and the partial stagnation act* prejndiciatly upon the whole system,— Chamber's Journal,