Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/111

CATAKRII CATAWBA 103 rotic ; passing in front of the iris, the point is made to cut its way out on the inner opposite surface ; the cutting of this flap constitutes the first period of the operation, after which the lids are permitted to be closed for a few seconds. Taking care in the subsequent steps of the opera- tion not to make pressure upon the globe, the surgeon raises the flap, and, by means of a prop- er needle, lacerates extensively the capsule; if at this time the lens does not of itself come forward into the anterior chamber, gentle and properly directed pressure will cause it to come out; to complete the operation, it is sometimes necessary to remove also the pieces of the divided capsuJ. When the lower half of the cornea is opaque or in a condition unfa- vorable to cicatrization, or very small, Wenzel, Kichter, and Jager recommend the section of the upper half; the steps of the operation are about the same, though perhaps more difficult to execute ; it offer-?, the advantages of present- ing less liability of the iris being wounded, of the vitreous humcr escaping, and of the lips of the section being separated by the edges of the lids. By the oblique incision, which is the favorite mode in France, the lids could not pos- sibly interfere wi r h the apposition of the edges of the wound. More care is required after ex- traction than after depression, to avoid inflam- mation ; after it ;s certain that the patient can distinguish objer-ts, the eye is lightly covered and the person confined to bed in a dark room, with the Jiead but slightly elevated. Of these operations, extraction removes with certainty the obstructing lens, is very little painful, does not wound the ciliary vessels or nerves, the choroid, or the retina; but it may cause deformity of the pupil or the escape of the vitreous humor; the edges of the wound may not readily heal, or may ulcerate, with hernia of the iris or opacity of the cornea. Depression leaves a permanent cause of irrita- tion in the eye, and the lens is liable to reas- cend ; the needle perforates the choroid and retina, and may cause inflammation of the in- ternal eye ; but there is no danger of the escape of the vitreous humor, nor of spots or ulcers of the cornea, nor of hernia of the iris, nor of immediate evacuation of the globe. Depres- sion is best in children and intractable persons, where the eyes are small and deep-seated, the cornea flat, or the conjunctiva irritated. When the cataract is soft and the pupil small or adherent, extraction is best in old persons, in adults with a large anterior chamber and the eyes sound, and when the cataract is hard or membranous. Convex spectacles are necessary, under proper restrictions, to supply the place of the extracted crystalline lens. CATARRH) a non-inflammatory disease, char- acterized by an increased secretion of mucus from the glands of the mucoiis membranes. The name is popularly confined to disease of the membrane of the air passages, but it should be extended to that of the intestinal, urinary, and even genital mucous membranes. Children and adults of the lymphatic temperament are most subject to catarrh ; and it occurs most fre- quently in cold and damp seasons, accompa- nied by sudden changes of temperature, and in individuals weakened by insufficient food, foul air, and mental anxiety ; it also occurs epidem- ically. Catarrh of the air passages is rarely ac- companied by any constitutional disturbance ; the principal symptoms are sneezing, increased secretion of tears and mucus, and a snuffling nasal respiration. In many cases of catarrh of the bladder, the urine is loaded with mucus, and the state of its membrane highly irritable, without being positively inflamed. Catarrhal diseases often occur epidemically, under the name of catarrhal fevers, in which there seems to be a morbid disposition in all the mucous membranes to secrete an excess of mucus. Besides the conditions already mentioned, the genital mucous membrane may be affected, constituting some form of leucorrhcea and blen- norhcea ; the conjunctiva may also be attacked, giving rise to catarrhal ophthalmia ; some of these conditions, especially the last two, may become contagious, without the usual specific origin. These catarrhal diseases are not gene- rally dangerous; but they are apt to become chronic and exceedingly difficult to remedy, when the lungs, stomach, intestines, and geni- to-urinary organs are affected, and especially when occurring, as they often do, in old and debilitated persons. The treatment of the mild forms is entirely expectant; in the chron- ic stages, the principal dependence is on tonics and stimulants, especially quinine, and on local applications of a stimulating and alterative character whenever the seat of the disease is directly accessible. They form some of the most obstinate cases which the physician has to manage, both from the difficulty of direct medication, and from the age and weakness of the majority of persons who suffer from them. CATASAUQPA, a borough of Lehigh co., Penn., on the left bank of the Lehigh river, 3 m. above Allentown ; pop. in 1870, 2,853. It con- tains 7 churches, a bank, 4 hotels, a semi- monthly periodical, 2 machine shops, 2 rolling mills, gas works, and 5 blast furnaces, one of which produces 250 tons of iron a week. The Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh and Susquehan- na railroads are joined here by the Catasauqua and Fogelsville railroad. CATAWBA, a W. central county of North Carolina; area, 250 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 10,- 984, of whom 1,703 were colored. It derives its name from the Great Catawba river, which forms its N. and E. boundary, and is drained by the South Catawba. The surface is diver- sified, and the soil fertile. Iron ore is abundant. It is crossed by the Western North Carolina railroad. The chief productions in 1870 were 34,746 bushels of wheat, 142,876 of Indian corn, 41,553 of oats, and 22 bales of cotton. There were 1,252 horses, 1,458 milch cows, 2,135 other cattle, 4,644 sheep, and 6,768 swine. Capital, Newton.