DEAFNESS, AND THE CARE OF THE EARS. 213 



through its mouth, just so soon should intelligent medical investi- 

 gation be made of its nostrils, preferably by a proper specialist. 



It is quite common for a child's mouth to drop open when 

 asleep, although he may have been breathing through his nose 

 when falling asleep. To correct this tendency it has long been a 

 custom among many mothers to tie a folded handkerchief over 

 the child's head and under its chin to keep the mouth closed. But 

 it is cruel and dangerous to do this unless we are j)ositive that 

 the child can breathe easily through the nose. 



Snoring also should be a warning, because snoring is usually 

 due to breathing through the mouth, and mouth-breathing is due 

 to the swollen, catarrhal condition of the inside of the nose ; and it 

 is this condition which is the cause of dry catarrhal deafness, 

 which is by far the most frequent form of deafness. 



Most of our population have some general ideas of catarrhal 

 affections of the nose and throat, but very few except those who 

 have lost their hearing from it have any conception of its inti- 

 mate causal relation with deafness. The popular idea of catarrh 

 is that it is a condition of more or less constant discharge of 

 offensive mucus from the nose. This is so only in the most 

 aggravated and worse forms of the disease, and fortunately is 

 rare. Properly speaking, catarrhal affections of the nose and 

 throat are simply an enlarged, swollen, and thickened condition 

 of the lining membrane of the nostrils and back part of the 

 throat. This thickened condition of the mucous membrane in the 

 nose is usually accompanied by an increased production of mucus, 

 which often drops backward into the throat, and, by increased 

 moisture in the back of the throat, excites the continuous little 

 hacking cough to dislodge it and clear the throat. 



These patients are very subject to what are called " colds in 

 the head," with complete closure of the nasal passages. The 

 reason their colds in the head are so severe is because a very 

 slight swelling of the inside of the nostrils, which is always, the 

 condition in this acute disease, occurring in a nose already much 

 narrowed by a chronic permanent enlargement of its lining mem- 

 brane, totally obstructs the nasal canals. 



A very common but unhealthy remedy for temporary or per- 

 manent occlusion of the nose is to snuff a solution of salt and 

 water through the nostrils. Unfortunately, this practice has been 

 too often thoughtlessly recommended by family physicians.. If 

 the habit is prolonged, the condition for which it is used will 

 surely be aggravated. A much better solution to use in the nose, 

 and also as a gargle in acute sore throat, instead of chlorate of po- 

 tassium, is common baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), a teaspoon- 

 ful in a cup of warm water. Whatever solution is used in the 

 nose, it is a great mistake to forcibly snuff it into the nostrils from 



