LARYNGEAL HYPERÆSTHESIA. CONVULSIVE COUGH.
Convulsive cough with visible lesions—without. Excitants, cold air, or water, rough or dusty food, irritant agents inhaled or swallowed. Treatment, hygienic, nerve sedative, expectorant, tonics, Muriate of ammonia, Sulphur dioxide, silver solution, ferric chloride, alum, derivatives, elimination, aromatic, dietetic.
The chronic or paroxysmal cough may often be traced to the presence of tumor, ulcer, local inflammation, or parasite, but in some instances no local trouble is recognizable, the general health remains good, and yet the throat is abnormally sensitive and a cough or fit of coughing may be roused by passing into the cold air from a warm stable, by cold water in drinking, by inhaling irritant gas, by the passage of rough or fibrous food, or by handling the larnyx. There is undoubtedly a hyperæsthesia of the larnyx and the horse and dog as being more exposed to severe demands on the physical and nervous systems are especially liable to suffer.
Treatment must be adapted to the conditions. Over-work, damp unhealthy buildings, and all appreciable health depressing causes must be corrected, and a course of iron and nux vomica may be tried. Borax, bromide of potassium, and extract of hyoscyamus, made into an electuary with molasses or honey may be smeared upon the molars four or five times a day. In obstinate cases the inhalation of the fumes of burning salammoniac or sulphur, or the direct application to the larnyx of dilute solutions of silver nitrate, ferric chloride, or alum may benefit. The throat may be blistered by cantharides or mustard. Care should be taken to keep the functions of bowels and kidneys normally active, to protect the patient against cold and damp, and to give nutritive but non-stimulating and easily digested food, as for the horse, bran mashes, roots, grass or scalded hay, and for the dog pulped flesh, soup and mush. Sometimes benefit can be obtained from the vegetable aromatics and stimulants as eucalyptol, tar, turpentine, balsams of Tolu and Peru, tincture of anise, fennel, etc.