34B

OF THE. CROUP.

'Ik: ointment of tutty, or the ointment of acetatbd ceruskTliese sores are indeed troublesome, but seldom dinger us. Theygenerally heal as soon as the warm weather sets in.

OT THE CROUP.

I

This disease first appeared, about half a century ago, on the northeast coast of England: it is an inflammation of the trachea, or wind-pipe, the tube through which the air passes to and from the lnngs. Ithappens only to children, and rarely occurs till after they are weaned :the younger they are after this period, they are the more liable to thisdisease, which is often violent in its attack, and frequently, by a preter-natural secretion of matter and mucus, produces such an obstruction otthe passage of the air, as suffocates and proves suddenly fatal to thepatient. But if it terminates favourably, the inflammation is resolved,as is likewise the spasm or cramp at the top of the wind-pipe, sometimeswith a considerable discharge of phlegm from the throat, and sometimeswith little more than happens in a common cold. The croup seems tobe a species of spasmodic asthma, attended with very acute and violentcatarrhal symptoms; it generally prevails in cold and wet seasons, ismost common near the sea coast, and in low marshy countries. Childrenof a gross and lax habit are most liable to it: its attacks are frequentlyrepeated on the same child, and it mostly assails the patient in tlie night,after he has been much exposed to damp and cold, or to easterly winds,the preceding day. Damp houses, wet feet, thin shores, wet clothes, orwhatever obstructs the perspiration, may occasion the croup, which hasiK>t been known to attack children above ten or twelve years of age. Itis attended with hoarseness, wheezing, and a dry cough, though some-times it is accompanied with purulent expectoration, and a pulse hard,full, and strong; the breathing is laborious, and performed with apeculiar kind of croaking noise that may be heard a considerable dis-tance ; the voice is sharp and shrill. It often happens that this diseaseputs on for some days the appearance of a common catarrh, but in whichthe difficulty of breathing increases generally in the evening, and a senseof suffocation is perceptible, attended with a small quick pulse often ISO,or 150 in a minute. Slight rigors, succeeded by heat and flushing in theface, are frequent.

When the child is seized with these symptoms, immediate applicationshould be made for medical assistance: the most active remedies mustbe promptly employed, for the disease often completes its course in threeor tour days. His feet should immediately be immersed in warm waterIf he is of a plethoric habit, as is mostly the case, he must be bled.Upon the first attack of the disease, vomiting, immediately after bleed-ing, seems to be of considerable use, and sometimes suddenly remove*the disease. It is advisable to have recourse to those medicines whichoperate most expeditiously, such as vitriolated zinc, even in largedoses. When a tasteless emetic is preferred, vomit with the solution oftartarized antimony: it may be made more detergent and expectorantby adding to it a proper quantity of the oxymel of squills. To assist in