544 



CHOUl' CROW. 



which produces this disorder, ami therefore it occurs 

 more frequently in the winter and spring than in the 

 other seasons. It has been said, that it is most pre- 

 valent near the sea-coast ; but it is frequently met 

 with in inland situations, and particularly those which 

 are marshy. Some days previous to an attack of the 

 disease, the child appears drowsy, inactive, and fret- 

 ful ; Uie eyes are somewhat suffused and heavy ; and 

 there is a cough, which, from the first, has a pecu- 

 liarly shrill sound ; this, in the course of two days, 

 becomes more violent and troublesome, and likewise 

 more shrill. Every fit of coughing agitates the pa- 

 tient very much ; the face is flushed and swelled, the 

 eyes are protuberant, a general tremor takes place, 

 and there is a kind of convulsive endeavour to renew 

 respiration at the close of each fit. As the disease 

 advances, a constant difficulty of breathing prevails, 

 and the head is thrown back in the agony of attempt- 

 ing to escape suffocation. There is not only an un- 

 usual sound produced by the cough (something be- 

 tween the yelping and barking of a dog), but respira- 

 tion is performed with a hissing noise, as if the wind- 

 pipe was closed up by some slight, spongy substance. 

 The cough is generally dry ; but if anything is spit 

 up, it has either a purulent appearance, or seems to 

 consist of films resembling portions of a membrane. 

 Where great nausea and frequent retchings prevail, 

 coagulated matter of the same nature is brought up. 

 With these symptoms, there is much thirst, and an 

 uneasy sense of heat over the whole body, a continual 

 inclination to change from place to place, great rest- 

 lessness, and frequency of the pulse. In an advanc- 

 ed stage of the disease, respiration becomes more 

 stridulous, and is performed with still greater diffi- 

 culty, being repeated at longer periods, and with 

 greater exertions, until, at last, it ceases entirely. 



The croup frequently proves fatal by suffocation, 

 induced either by spasm affecting the glottis, or by a 

 quantity of matter blocking up the air passages ; but 

 when it terminates in health, it is by a resolution of 

 the inflammation, by a ceasing of the spasms, and by 

 a free expectoration of the matter exuding from the 

 trachea, or of the crusts formed there. The disease 

 has, in a few instances, terminated fatally within 24 

 hours after its attack ; but it more usually happens, 

 that where it proves fatal, it runs on to the fourth or 

 fifth day. Where considerable portions of the mem- 

 branous films, formed on the surface of the trachea, 

 are thrown up, life is sometimes protracted for a day 

 or two longer than would otherwise have happened. 

 Dissections of children, who have died of the croup, 

 have mostly shown a preternatural membrane, lining 

 the whole -internal surface of the upper part of the 

 trachea, which may always be easily separated from 

 the proper membrane. There is likewise usually 

 found a good deal of mucus, with a mixture of pus, 

 in the windpipe and its ramifications. 



The treatment of this disease must be conducted on 

 the strictly antiphlogistic plan. It will commonly be 

 proper, where the patient is not very young, to be- 

 gin by taking blood from the arm or the jugular vein ; 

 several leeches should be applied along the fore par 

 of the neck. It will then be right to give a nauseat- 

 ing emetic, ipecacuanha with tartari:sed antimony, or 

 with squill, in divided doses ; this may be follower 

 up by cathartics, diaphoretics, digitalis, &c. Large 

 blisters ought to be applied near the affected part 

 and a discharge kept up by savin cerate, or othei 

 stimulant dressing. Mercury, carried speedily to sali 

 vation, has in several instances arrested the progres 

 of the disease, when it appeared proceeding to a fata 

 termination. As the inflammation is declining, it i 

 very important that free expectoration should taki 

 place. This may be promoted by nauseating medi 

 dues, by inhaling steam, and by stimulating gargles 



or which the decoction of seneku is particularly 

 ecommended. Where there is much wheezing, an 

 xjcasional emetic may, in a considerable degree, re- 

 ieve the patient, and, under symptoms of threnten- 

 ng suflbcation, the operation of bronchotomy hns 

 ometimes saved life. Should fits of spasmodic dilli- 

 culty of breathing occur in the latter periods of the 

 lisease, opium, joined with diaphoretics, would be 

 most likely to do good. Napoleon, on the occasion 

 >f the death of his nephew, the prince of Holland, of 

 his disease, offered a premium of 12,000 francs for 

 he best treatise on the croup. Of eighty-three es- 

 says, which were presented to the committee of 

 .welve members assembled for the examination at 

 'aris, in 1811, two were acknowledged as the best, 

 one by lurine, in Geneva, and the other by Alber-, 

 of Bremen, between whom the prize was divided 



CROUSAZ, JOHN PETER DE, a celebrated mathe- 

 matician and philosopher, was born at Lausanne, in 

 1660. He early distinguished himself by his progress 

 in mathematics and philosophy, under able professors 

 at Geneva and Lausanne, applying himself particu- 

 larly to the writings of Descartes. In 1682, he went 

 ;o the university orLeyden, and thence proceeded to 

 Paris, where he became acquainted with the celebrat- 

 ed father Malebranche, who, with other celebrated 

 men, vainly endeavoured to convert him to the Ca- 

 tholic religion. On returning to his native country, 

 tie was ordained minister, appointed honorary pro- 

 fessor, and remained pastor of the church at Lau- 

 sanne. In 1699, he was made professor of Greek 

 and of philosophy in the academy of Lausanne, ap- 

 pointed rector in 1706, and again in 1722. In 1724, 

 he was chosen mathematical and philosophical pro- 

 fessor at the university at Groningen. In 1732, he 

 was nominated counsellor of embassies to the king of 

 Sweden, and, in 1737, elected professor of philosophy 

 and mathematics at Lausanne. His works are dis- 

 tinguished for learning, liberality, and acuteness. The 

 principal are, A System of Reflections that may con- 

 tribute to the Illustration and Extension of Know- 

 ledge, or a new Essay on Logic (in 6 vols., 12mo, 

 1741) ; Summa Logica (1724) ; a Treatise on Educa- 

 tion ; Examen du Pyrrhonisnie ancien et modernc ; 

 Geometrie des Lignes et des Surfaces rectilignes et 

 circulaircs ; Examen de I Essai de M. Pope ; Com- 

 mentaire sur la Traduction de I' Essai de M. Pope, de 

 VAbbe du Resnel; Traite du Beau; a Treatise on 

 the Human Understanding. 



CROW (corvus, L.) ; a genus of birds remarkable 

 for their gregarious and predatory habits, distinguish 

 ed by the following characters : The bill is straight, 

 convex, and compressed, being covered at its base, by 

 incumbent, bristly feathers; the upper mandible is 

 curved at tip, the lower is a little shorter, carinated 

 on both sides, and slightly ascending at the extre- 

 mity ; the nostrils are placed on the base of the bill, 

 and are patulous, though covered by the incumbent 

 feathers ; the tongue is short, cartilaginous, acute, 

 and bifid at tip ; the tarsus scarcely exceeds the mid- 

 dle toe in length ; the toes are separated almost to 

 the base, and the middle one is the longest ; the nails 

 are moderate, pointed, hollow beneath, and sharp- 

 edged, the hind one being generally longest; the 

 wings are subelongated, acute, the first primary short, 

 third or fourth longest ; the tail consists of twelve 

 feathers. 



The raven is the largest species of its trilie, very 

 little inferior in size to a common cock, being twenty- 

 six inches in length, and more than three feet from 

 the tip of one wing to that of the other. The plum- 

 age is of a very glossy black, with some reflections of 

 bluish purple on the back. The female is less pure- 

 ly black than the male, and a little smaller. The 

 raven, when on the ground, marches at a grave and 



