Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/781

* CHOISEITL-PKASLIN. 683 CHOLERA. appointed Under- Secret a rj- of State in the Minis- In- for Foreign Affairs. In 1887 he was dis- patched on a botanical mission to Ceylon and the United States, lie lias been regarded as very iniUiontial in the Kcpublican majority. CHOISY-LE-ROI, shWi'zo'l(-nva', or CHOI- SY-SUB-SEINE, s^r-san'. A town in the De- partment of Seine, France, on the river Seine, 6 miles southeast of Paris. It owes its importance to Louis XV., who built a pleasure chateau here, the remains of which are now occupied by a por- celain factory. The church and the town hall also were built in the reiirn of Louis XV. Among its monuments is a bronze statue of Kouget de I'lsle, author of the Marseillaise, who died here in 1836. The industries comprise textile, porcelain. and glass factories. Population, in 1901, 11,281. CHOKE, Gexer.x^l Cybi-.s. A character, or caricature, in Dickens's novel Martin Chuzzleicit. He is an American citizen, and "one of the most remarkable men in the country." Martin meets him on his visit to the United States and is in- veigled by him into a rvinious land speculation. CHOKE-BORE. A shotgun (q.v.Twhose bore is slightly narrowed toward the muzzle in order to concentrate the shot. CHOKE-CHERRY (so called on account of its astringent fruit ). A name given to those species of the genus Primus of which the fruit is astringent. They are comprised in the section Padus of the genus Prnnus: they are natives of North America and have small fruit that hangs ir. racemes. The true choke-cherry is Priuiiis Virginiana, -which is a shnd) or small tree. Closely allied to it is the wild black cherry, Prunus serotiyia. This is an important forest tree, 60 feet high, and ranging over the United States from ilaine to Florida and west to the Dakotas and Texas. It is a liandsome tree and its wood is one of the most vahiable of Amer- ican woods for cabinet-work. It has a consid- erable resemblance to the Portugal laurel, al- though the leaves are deciduous. The bark is used as a febrifuge, pectoral, and tonic, under the name of wild-cherry bark; and by distilling it with water, a volatile oil is obtained from it associated vith hydrocyanic acid, called oil of wild cherry. This bark allays nervous irrita- tion, and is particularly suitable as a tonic. See WiiD Cherry. CHOKE-DAMP. See CARnoNic-AciD Gas. CHOKED DISK. See Optic Neitkitis. CHOKING. The obstruction of the throat, larynx, windpipe, or oesophagus by morsels of food or foreign bodies so that breathing is lim- ited or prevented. Choking commonly causes coughing, redness of the face, dribbling of the saliva, etc., and may sometimes cause convulsions and death. Relief is obtained by dislodging the blocking substance by a blow on the back (which causes an expiration of some force ). by an emetic, as apomorphia, administered hypodermically, by removal with a forceps, coin-catcher, or probe, or by pushing the obstruction down into the stomach with a sound or sponge-prohang. A foreign body maj' be so firijdy lodged in the throat, oesophagus, or bronchus as to necessitate cutting into the oesophagus or trachea and then using a forceps. CHOLAGOGTIE, kCl'ft-gOg (Gk. x";<-'>''<r eholayogos, from x^^V, choir, bile -|- hyuynr^, aqO- .VOL. IV.— 44. gos, bringing, from ojeiv, ai/ei'n, to carry). An old term for a cathartic medicine wliieh in- creases the How of bile. Cholagogues act cither by promoting the secretion of bile, or by facili- tating the How of bile from the gall-bladder into the duodenum. CHOLERA, kol'e-ra (Lat., from Gk. x"V'"'» cholera, the cholera, from A'O^. cholii, gall, bile). A term applied to four different diseases known, respectively, as cholera morbus, cholera nostras, cholera In'dica (or Asiatic cholera), and cholera infantum. An account of the last-named disease is given in a special article. The others may be brielly descril)ed in the present sketch. CuoijiRA Morbus. This is a rarely serious attack of gastroenteritis, characterized by vom- iting, diarrlid-a. cold surface, anxious or even faint feeling, cramps in the abdomen, and some prostration. It is caused by eating indigcstibles or overloading the stomach, by excessive drink- ing of ice-water, exertion or exposure immediate- ly after eating, etc., and usually occurs in the summer. In adults the treatment consists in emptying the digestive tract, then giving opium and carminatives, and resting the alimentary canal for several liours. Cholera Nostras. This is a diarrhceal disease which has appeared in various parts of Europe, sometimes in epidemic form, since the days of Hippocrates. The name was adopted after Asiatic cholera appeared and invaded Europe, to distinguish it from the latter disease. Cholera nostras resembles cholera morbus except that the invasion is less sudden, the pains are more se- vere, and the prostration is more pronounced. Cramps occur in the legs, fingers, and arms, till! skin becomes blue, and delirium or convul- sions occur. Death is rare except among the aged, children, and invalids. No one cause can be named for it. The ordinary and normal in- testinal l)aeteria {Bacillus coli cominiinis) have been found in the fseces, but not the spirilla. The disease is not frequent in the United States, imless it be considered identical with the severer forms of cholera morbus. The term is but rarely used by American physicians. During an epi- demic of true cholera, it is difficult to differen- tiate cases of cholera nostras, except by the ab- sence of the spirilla in the dejections. In treat- ing cholera nostras the digestive tract should be emptied by washing out the stomach and by using purgatives; the rectum should be irrigated with large quantities of hot tannin solution ; the patient should take a hot bath and be warmly covered ; the heart should be supported by pro|)er medication. The atUick may last several days, and is usualh- followed by considerable weak- ness and digestive disturbances. Cholera Indka, or Asi.tic Cholera. This is an infectious disease caused by drinking water contaminated by the fipces of other cholera pa- tients, and containing the ftpirilluin cholera;. It is probably never communicated by contagion. that is, through the breath, perspiration, or other emanation from the patient. The disease originated in India, where it is endemic. Its per- manent home is Calcutta and the southern part of Bengal. It has existed since 1817 in endemic form, and epidemics of it antedate the Christian era. Cholera first appeared in China in 1820; in Arabia, Persia, and Jlesnpntaniia in 1821 : in Syria, Palestine, and on the shores of the Cas- l)ian in 182.3. The second epidemic, starting from