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Saturday, March 22, 2003"This is going to make witty conversation difficult," I said. My voice, already a pathetic croak from the upper respiratory affliction known as "Kuwaiti crud," sounded small and strangled through the mask. I heard a reporter on NPR last night apologize for his voice by explaining he had the “Kuwaiti crud”, too. But here it's described as a sandy fog: At night, the sand looks like a thick fog in the light of a lamp. Soldiers call it ``Kuwaiti crud.'' It is so fine that it creeps through every available opening, clogging machinery and making it hard to breathe. Turns out it’s a cough and congestion from inhaling sand: The Kuwaiti crud is like a low-grade cold. It starts with a mild sore throat, often after a bad dust storm such as the two-day gale that raged last week. The cold is followed by a slightly runny nose and a deep cough from the chest. It causes little trouble during the day but can be torture at night, when the coughing and hacking can keep troops, and their healthy tentmates, from getting much sleep. The medics’ treatment of choice has been a green pill called Guaifenesin, a decongestant, and Sudafed. Soldiers say it will whip the crud in a couple of days. There are other forms of crud, too. The article mentions “Korea crud” and the “Kabul crud”: During clinic hours, Gardon treats bumps, bruises, chest pain, and an influenza bug his staff has nicknamed the "Kabul crud." US soldiers are susceptible to these viruses because they've never been exposed to them. Poor sanitation increases the risk of infection. "People defecate in the alleys and streets. It dries and the pathogens get caught up in the dust so it becomes airborne," Gardon says. Actually, “crud” is a term we often use to describe an annoying illness, be it a mild case of diarrhea and nausea or a lingering cold. But, in the case of “Kuwaiti crud”, the word is very apt. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, “crud” is as follows: 1. Slang a. A coating or an incrustation of filth or refuse. b. Something loathsome, despicable, or worthless. c. One who is contemptible or disgusting. 2. A disease or ailment, imaginary or real, especially one affecting the skin. Not only is it a condition caused by coating or incrusting the lungs with a loathesome substance, but the method of delivery of those sand particles is in line with the original Middle English: crudde, possibly from Old English *cruden, past participle of crdan, to press, drive. Kuwaiti crud: The wind-forced pressing of sand particles into the nasal passages and lungs to form a loathsome incrustation of the linings of said passages causing an ailment consisting of cough, runny nose, and hoarseness. Treatment: Decongestants. Prevention: Wearing veils and masks. Now we know why Arab women submit to the veil so easily. posted by Sydney on 3/22/2003 09:22:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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