Rheumatism

3983

Rhine

Rheumatism, Acute and Chronic, and
Rheumatoid Arthritis. Having certain
characteristics in common, these three dis-
eases are best considered together. Acute
articular rheumatism is generally character-
ized by a moderate degree of fever, by coated
tongue, by profuse sweating, and by consid-
erable pain in one or more joints. There
may be slight redness over the inflamed joint.
The larger joints are most frequently affected,
and the inflammation may persist for weeks,
but there is a form of the disease in which
day by day the inflammatory process passes

and a generous diet sometimes keep it in
check, or even ameliorate its symptoms.

Rhydt, tn., Prussian Rhine province, 19 m.
by rail w. by s. of Dusseldorf. It manu-
factures silks and velvets, cotton goods ma-
chinery, and colored paper; p.46,000.

Rhinanthus, a genus of plants belonging
to the order Schrophulariaceae. The com-
mon European cockscomb, or yellow-rattle, is
a rather tall, single-stemmed plant, with a
loose spike of yellow flowers in June.

Rhine, riv. of Germany, 760 m. in length)
and draining an area of 75,770 sq. m. It

Views on the Rhine.

Upper Left, The 'Mouse Tower' and Ehrenf els, Bingen; Upper Right, Rolandseck; Center,
Bacharach; Lower Left, The Lorelei Rock; Lower Right, Stolzenfels.

from one joint to another. Chronic rheuma-
tism may follow an acute attack. It is mani-
fested by subacute symptoms, the pain be-
ing less severe, the temperature lower, and
the cardiac complications less frequent. But
while less alarming, it is often more lingering
than the acute variety of the disease. In old
people the hip joint is the chief seat of chron-
ic rheumatism. Rheumatoid arthritis is char-
acterized by great wasting of the joint sur-
faces, by extreme thickening of the parts
around the joint, and by distortions due to
muscular contractions. Rheumatoid arthritis
is incurable; but cod-liver oil, iron, iodides,

rises in the Swiss canton of Graubiindten
(Grisons). The most picturesque portion is,
between Bingen and Koblenz, where the riv-
er winds between mountains on either side.
From Cologne to its mouth it passes through
flat country. Its most important tributaries
are (r. bk.) the Elz, Kinzig, Murg, Neckar,
Main, Lahn, and Sieg; (1. bk.) Ill> Queich,
Nahe, Mosel, and Ahr. The left or southern
arm, which falls into the North Sea at the
Hook of Holland, is alternately known as
the Waal and the Maas. The right or north-
ern arm splits up into the Yssel and the
Rijn,