HOOPESTON, hoops'ton, Ill., city in Ver milion County, on the Lake Erie and Western and the Chicago and Eastern Illinois railroads, about 85 miles south of Chicago and 48 miles south by east of Kankakee. It has a Carnegie library, several public parks and is the seat of Greer College, established in 1891. It is situ ated in an agricultural region and its chief in dustries are connected with agricultural prod ucts. It has large sweet-corn canning establish ments and factories for making the cans and the canning machinery. There are manufac tured other canned goods, also horseshoe nails, gas engines and agricultural implements. Grain and hay are shipped to the larger markets. The government, in accordance with the charter of 1877, is vested in a mayor who serves for two years and in a city council. The city owns and operates the waterworks. Pop. 4,698.
a series of coughs ending in a long-drawn breath, during which a shrill whistling sound, the hoop, is produced.
Several fits of coughing succeed one another until some phlegm or mucus is expelled. Vom iting not infrequently follows a fit of coughing. It has recently been discovered that the cause of the complaint is a poison acting as an irritant on the pneumogastric nerve. Hooping-cough is contagious and most commonly attacks chil dren, generally but once in their lives. The first symptoms are a difficulty of breathing and other slight febrile affections, which are suc ceeded by hoarseness, cough and difficulty of expectoration. After a fortnight or more the cough becomes convulsive and is attended by the hoop. In four or five weeks the expectora tion becomes loose and the fits of coughing gradually diminish in frequency and duration. Hooping-cough is seldom fatal to adults, but is most fatal in the first year of childhood. Bron chitis and pneumonia are the most serious complications.