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119 vealing nothing beyond a little rhonchus at the base of the chest, and there being no trace of diphtheria, a careful search was made for typhoid spots, but without success. This search was subsequently repeated daily, and with the greatest possible care; but no rose-coloured spots were found from this date onwards. There was also a total absence of diarrhoea, abdominal tenderness, or tympanitis-indeed, some constipation had to be overcome. As days passed on, the nocturnal delirium, the day drowsiness, and other cere- bral signs gradually faded. The descent of the tempera- ture line was similarly gradual. iVIorning remissions con- tinued ; and the average evening exacerbation decreased till a standard, a degree above the normal, was attained on the twenty-second day of the disease. The temperature trace thus obtained constituted a very valuable testimony as to the nature of the illness. Nevertheless, a perfectly normal level was not reached; and, after five days of an uncertain state, the evening limit was observed to touch 1002° F. The same occurred on the ensuing evening, and by the next morning the thermometer gave us 104 1’. Simultaneously with this, the pulse shot up first to 120, then to 160. The former suffused, heavy look returned. She complained of intense headache, was very restless, and had some vomiting. The skin was for the second time covered with a deep ery- thematous blush, which again spared the extremities. This time there was an absence of sore-throat. The tongue at once became brown and dry, with vividly red edges. The urine contained no albumen. After forty-eight hours the rash had vanished; but the high rate of pulse and tem- perature, the dry tongue, vomiting, delirium, and restless- ness continued. To these, wakefulness and general hyper- sesthesia were added. After this state of things had lasted for five days-i. e., on the thirty-seventh day of disease,- the albuminuria recurred. The lungs began to fill with loose rales, and the pulse to fail in power. She died on the fortieth day of illness-the twelfth from the relapse. During the last seven days of illness the average temperature was 1050 F., the day and night variations not exceeding a degree. On a post-mortem examination, numerous ulcers were found in the lower portion of the ileum. Some of these ulcers were free, and looked healthy; others were covered with yellow sloughs, for the most part on the point of sepa- rating. Nowhere was there any tendency to perforation. The spleen was large, weighing twelve ounces. The liver was very fatty. The kidneys were healthy. The lungs were generally cedematous, and one contained a small kernel of imperfect pneumonia. No other morbid change worth noticing was observed. Dr. Duffin remarks :-This case, then, was one of relapsing typhoid, but with an absence of almost all the great cha- racters which usually indicate this disease. Accepting the data given by the patient, there can be no question as to the total absence of rose spots, at least from the twelfth day onwards. The care*also with which the skin was examined on admission renders it very doubtful if any existed at that date. The absence throughout of diarrhaea, abdominal ten- derness, tympanitis, and gurgling in the iliac fossa is espe- cially remarkable in such a conjuncture. The presence of a deep erythematous blush over the face and trunk, both during the initial attack and during the relapse, is also un- usual. Being coupled at the outset with some slight sore- throat and glandular enlargement, and associated with such exceptionally severe nervous and thermometric signs for so early a period in typhoid fever, it was natural to suspect the presence of scarlatina, the more so as decided desquamation followed. Still the appearance of an erythematous blush in early typhoid is not so uncommon but that most men have observed it. Dr. Duffin has also on one other occasion seen the co-existence of sore-throat and erythematous rash; but in that instance, as the erythema fell, rcse-coloured spots ap- peared. The return of the erythema with the relapse, and the absence of sore-throat on that occasion, quite preclude the idea of the co-existence of scarlatina and typhoid. Of the signs of positive diagnostic value, the thermometer seems to have supplied the best evidence; the gradual descent of the daily maximum from the eleventh to the twenty-second day of illness was especially striking. In itself, however, it would not suffice to make the diagnosis, since Wunderlich, in his work on Temperature, has figured an almost similar curve as occurring between the same dates in a case of severe scarlet fever (fig. 34, taf. v.) The morning remissions, although, on the whole, of value, were not sufficiently steady to justify any inference. The ante- cedents probably deserved more attention than they received on admission. The insidious, gradual approach, and th& number of days occupied, especially claimed attention. The patient’s mental state was, however, such as to throw a haze over all the information with which she supplied us. POPLAR HOSPITAL. CASE OF ARACHNITIS FOLLOWING A FALL ON THE HEAD ; TREPHINING; DEATH. (Under the care of Dr. BAIN.) THE notes of the following interesting case have been supplied to us by Mr. Oliver Penfold, resident surgeon. G. C-, aged thirty-four, a shipwright, admitted April 2nd, 1869, for symptoms of brain-compression. On the 13th March last, at 11.30 P.2i., he was found in Cornhill, London, lying on his face, his head in the gutter, and his feet towards the middle of the road. He had been drinking, and it was supposed that he had run after an omnibus, which was full, and therefore did not stop when he hailed it; that he had stumbled, and had struck his head against the curbstone. He was insensible, and had a cut on the left side of the head. A policeman took him at once to Guy’s Hospital, where the wound was dressed; and in about an hour and a half he recovered his senses sufficiently to give his correct name and address. He was sent home in a cab. Two days afterwards he was seen by a surgeon, and was attended by him until the day of his admission. Dming that time he had been allowed milk and light pud- dings, but no stimulants. He kept his bed all the time, and the cut scalp seemed to be healing well till about the 26th or 27th March, when (his wife said) " it looked shiny,. and not so red as it had done." On March 27th he did not recognise properly his friends; on the 28th he had a cold shiver, was restless, and kept getting in and out of bed. When admitted (twenty days after the injury) he had a granulating wound of scalp, about the middle of the coronal suture on the left side; and at the bottom a small fissure of the parietal bone, about an inch long, was found. He was lethargic, but could be aroused sufficiently to get him to put out his tongue. There was no paralysis of sensation or of motion in the limbs. He was able to retain his urine and fseces, but for convenience the catheter was used. He was placed in bed upon a water-pillow. Beef-tea and milk diet. Ice was applied to the head, which had been already shaved; and four grains of calomel were given internally. April 3rd (twenty-first day).-Passed a restless night; complained of pain in his head. Puts his hand to his head, and moans frequently. Is very thirsty; breath "sour"; tongue dry, white, and furred; bowels confined; sensation and motion not impaired; left pupil larger than right. Lies on his right side. Pulse, morning 72., evening 95; temperature, evening, 105v5° F. 4th (twenty-second day). - Restless; still thirsty; is lethargic; pupils equal; bowels acted, the motions having a most offensive odour, and being of a light-yellow colour. (Calomel given.) Pulse, morning 70, evening 74; respira- tion 28; temperature, morning l00°, evening 104°. To take an ounce of brandy every two hours. 5th (twenty-third day).—Quiet; there is a little epiphora; no closure of the right eyelids is produced by touching the right eyeball, which is glazed over; the legs move when the soles are tickled; temperature 102v5° morning and even- ing ; pulse 82 morning and evening; tongue white, furred; a little puroin,-; involuntarily passes his urine. A grain of calomel to be given every six hours. 6th (twenty-fourth day).-Quiet, but talkative; no pain; sighs frequently; talks nonsense; recognised his wife to- day ; the right eyebrow does not move when the left does; no purging ; tougue white, furred; pulse, morning 85, even- ing 88; temperature, morning 104’75°, evening 104’25°. 7th (twenty-fifth day).-Quiet; answers questions fairly; is talkative; left conjunctiva is now ansesthetic; can only half-close his eyelids; says he can hear the ticking of a watch placed close to either ear; there are a few pustules, about as large as a split pea, on the penis and right but- tock ; abdomen tympanitic; tongue white, furred, dry; reflex movements are diminished, but not lost, in left foot. About midnight he seeded comatose and in a dying state..
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Page 1: POPLAR HOSPITAL

119

vealing nothing beyond a little rhonchus at the base of thechest, and there being no trace of diphtheria, a carefulsearch was made for typhoid spots, but without success.This search was subsequently repeated daily, and with thegreatest possible care; but no rose-coloured spots were foundfrom this date onwards. There was also a total absence ofdiarrhoea, abdominal tenderness, or tympanitis-indeed,some constipation had to be overcome. As days passed on,the nocturnal delirium, the day drowsiness, and other cere-bral signs gradually faded. The descent of the tempera-ture line was similarly gradual. iVIorning remissions con-tinued ; and the average evening exacerbation decreased tilla standard, a degree above the normal, was attained on thetwenty-second day of the disease. The temperature tracethus obtained constituted a very valuable testimony as tothe nature of the illness. Nevertheless, a perfectly normallevel was not reached; and, after five days of an uncertainstate, the evening limit was observed to touch 1002° F. Thesame occurred on the ensuing evening, and by the nextmorning the thermometer gave us 104 1’. Simultaneouslywith this, the pulse shot up first to 120, then to 160. Theformer suffused, heavy look returned. She complained ofintense headache, was very restless, and had some vomiting.The skin was for the second time covered with a deep ery-thematous blush, which again spared the extremities. Thistime there was an absence of sore-throat. The tongue atonce became brown and dry, with vividly red edges. Theurine contained no albumen. After forty-eight hours therash had vanished; but the high rate of pulse and tem-perature, the dry tongue, vomiting, delirium, and restless-ness continued. To these, wakefulness and general hyper-sesthesia were added. After this state of things had lastedfor five days-i. e., on the thirty-seventh day of disease,-the albuminuria recurred. The lungs began to fill withloose rales, and the pulse to fail in power. She died on thefortieth day of illness-the twelfth from the relapse. Duringthe last seven days of illness the average temperature was1050 F., the day and night variations not exceeding a degree.On a post-mortem examination, numerous ulcers were

found in the lower portion of the ileum. Some of theseulcers were free, and looked healthy; others were coveredwith yellow sloughs, for the most part on the point of sepa-rating. Nowhere was there any tendency to perforation.The spleen was large, weighing twelve ounces. The liverwas very fatty. The kidneys were healthy. The lungs weregenerally cedematous, and one contained a small kernel ofimperfect pneumonia. No other morbid change worthnoticing was observed.

Dr. Duffin remarks :-This case, then, was one of relapsingtyphoid, but with an absence of almost all the great cha-racters which usually indicate this disease. Accepting thedata given by the patient, there can be no question as tothe total absence of rose spots, at least from the twelfth dayonwards. The care*also with which the skin was examinedon admission renders it very doubtful if any existed at thatdate. The absence throughout of diarrhaea, abdominal ten-derness, tympanitis, and gurgling in the iliac fossa is espe-cially remarkable in such a conjuncture. The presence of a

deep erythematous blush over the face and trunk, bothduring the initial attack and during the relapse, is also un-usual. Being coupled at the outset with some slight sore-throat and glandular enlargement, and associated with suchexceptionally severe nervous and thermometric signs for soearly a period in typhoid fever, it was natural to suspect thepresence of scarlatina, the more so as decided desquamationfollowed. Still the appearance of an erythematous blush inearly typhoid is not so uncommon but that most men haveobserved it. Dr. Duffin has also on one other occasion seenthe co-existence of sore-throat and erythematous rash; but inthat instance, as the erythema fell, rcse-coloured spots ap-peared. The return of the erythema with the relapse, andthe absence of sore-throat on that occasion, quite precludethe idea of the co-existence of scarlatina and typhoid. Ofthe signs of positive diagnostic value, the thermometerseems to have supplied the best evidence; the gradualdescent of the daily maximum from the eleventh to thetwenty-second day of illness was especially striking. Initself, however, it would not suffice to make the diagnosis,since Wunderlich, in his work on Temperature, has figuredan almost similar curve as occurring between the samedates in a case of severe scarlet fever (fig. 34, taf. v.) Themorning remissions, although, on the whole, of value, were

not sufficiently steady to justify any inference. The ante-cedents probably deserved more attention than they receivedon admission. The insidious, gradual approach, and th&number of days occupied, especially claimed attention. Thepatient’s mental state was, however, such as to throw a

haze over all the information with which she supplied us.POPLAR HOSPITAL.

CASE OF ARACHNITIS FOLLOWING A FALL ON THE HEAD ;TREPHINING; DEATH.

(Under the care of Dr. BAIN.)THE notes of the following interesting case have been

supplied to us by Mr. Oliver Penfold, resident surgeon.G. C-, aged thirty-four, a shipwright, admitted April

2nd, 1869, for symptoms of brain-compression. On the13th March last, at 11.30 P.2i., he was found in Cornhill,London, lying on his face, his head in the gutter, and hisfeet towards the middle of the road. He had been drinking,and it was supposed that he had run after an omnibus,which was full, and therefore did not stop when he hailedit; that he had stumbled, and had struck his head againstthe curbstone. He was insensible, and had a cut on theleft side of the head. A policeman took him at once toGuy’s Hospital, where the wound was dressed; and inabout an hour and a half he recovered his senses sufficientlyto give his correct name and address. He was sent homein a cab. Two days afterwards he was seen by a surgeon,and was attended by him until the day of his admission.Dming that time he had been allowed milk and light pud-dings, but no stimulants. He kept his bed all the time,and the cut scalp seemed to be healing well till about the26th or 27th March, when (his wife said) " it looked shiny,.and not so red as it had done." On March 27th he did not

recognise properly his friends; on the 28th he had a coldshiver, was restless, and kept getting in and out of bed.When admitted (twenty days after the injury) he had a

granulating wound of scalp, about the middle of the coronalsuture on the left side; and at the bottom a small fissureof the parietal bone, about an inch long, was found. Hewas lethargic, but could be aroused sufficiently to get himto put out his tongue. There was no paralysis of sensationor of motion in the limbs. He was able to retain his urineand fseces, but for convenience the catheter was used. Hewas placed in bed upon a water-pillow. Beef-tea and milkdiet. Ice was applied to the head, which had been alreadyshaved; and four grains of calomel were given internally.

April 3rd (twenty-first day).-Passed a restless night;complained of pain in his head. Puts his hand to his head,and moans frequently. Is very thirsty; breath "sour";tongue dry, white, and furred; bowels confined; sensationand motion not impaired; left pupil larger than right.Lies on his right side. Pulse, morning 72., evening 95;temperature, evening, 105v5° F.

4th (twenty-second day). - Restless; still thirsty; islethargic; pupils equal; bowels acted, the motions havinga most offensive odour, and being of a light-yellow colour.(Calomel given.) Pulse, morning 70, evening 74; respira-tion 28; temperature, morning l00°, evening 104°. To take

an ounce of brandy every two hours.5th (twenty-third day).—Quiet; there is a little epiphora;no closure of the right eyelids is produced by touching theright eyeball, which is glazed over; the legs move when thesoles are tickled; temperature 102v5° morning and even-ing ; pulse 82 morning and evening; tongue white, furred;a little puroin,-; involuntarily passes his urine. A grainof calomel to be given every six hours.

6th (twenty-fourth day).-Quiet, but talkative; no pain;sighs frequently; talks nonsense; recognised his wife to-day ; the right eyebrow does not move when the left does;no purging ; tougue white, furred; pulse, morning 85, even-ing 88; temperature, morning 104’75°, evening 104’25°.

7th (twenty-fifth day).-Quiet; answers questions fairly;is talkative; left conjunctiva is now ansesthetic; can onlyhalf-close his eyelids; says he can hear the ticking of awatch placed close to either ear; there are a few pustules,about as large as a split pea, on the penis and right but-tock ; abdomen tympanitic; tongue white, furred, dry;reflex movements are diminished, but not lost, in left foot.About midnight he seeded comatose and in a dying state..

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Dr. Bain and Mr. Corner saw the patient together; and Dr.Bain, thinking that the symptoms probably -were due topressure near the scalp wound, trephined a portion of theskull, about as large as a shilling, at the situation of thefissure in the coronal suture. No pus was found. Thedura mater was then opened, but nothing abnormal wasseen, except that the cerebral veins were highly congested.Pulse, morning 97. evening 9s; temperature, morning andevening, 102.75°. To take half the quantity of brandy-and-egg mixture (half an ounce), and one grain of calomel to begiven every six hours.

8th (twenty-sixth day).—’BVandering in ideas; still canhalf-close his eyelids; sensation diminished on both sidesof cheek, and there is a decided weakness of the right facialmuscles. Pupils equal, dilated, and fixed; abdomen tym-panitic ; tongue white, furred, and moist. Pustules on

penis and buttock becoming confluent. He constantlymoves his hands (the right chiefly) about, plucking at

objects in front of him. Up till to-day he had been lyingupon his right side ; but he now lies on his back. Pulse,morning SO, evening 97; temperature, morning 10133°,evening 101B

9th (twenty-seventh day). - Had slight convulsions,chiefly of the arms, at 4, G, and 8 A.M. Moves his armsand right leg well. The left leg is not easily made tomove by tickling the sole. He mutters constantly, andwaves his hands slowly about in the air as if trying to feelsomething. Pupils dilated. Pulse, morning 96; tempera-ture, morning 100 i 5‘’.-1.30 P.M.: Pupils half contracted;breath stertorous; moribund.-Died at 6.30 P.M.

Dissect,’oiz.-I’Aips, scalp, and right ear blue; left ear

anaemic. Black fluid blood escaped from the cut surfacesof the scalp ; the latter was very readily removed from thecalvaria. No fissure nor fracture was detected before the

pericranium was removed. After it was peeled off, a smallfissure, about half an inch long, was seen in the lower andhinder part of the trephine hole in the left parietal bone;the rest of the fissured bone had been removed by the tre-phine. No fracture was discovered. There was no extra-vasation of blood between the dura mater and brain. Smalldetached collections of thick creamy pus were scattered overthe outer surface of the brain, chiefly along the superiorlongitudinal sinus, and between the convolutions. The

creamy matter could he dissected from the subjacent piamater, which was congested. The opposed surfaces of thecerebrum were glued together by recent lymph, but werereadily separated. Brain-substance firm outside. Thelateral ventricles were full of sero-purulent fluid. Corporastriata were a little softer than normal, as was the rest ofthe cerebral substance at the base of the brain, over whicha thin layer of creamy pus was found between the arachnoidand pia mater. The sheaths of the optic nerves, and thethree divisions of the fifth pair, were surrounded likewiseby viscid matter. The thoracic and abdominal viscera werenot examined.

METROPOLITAN FREE HOSPITAL.CONSTANT VOMITING AND ERUCTATIONS RELIEVED AT

ONCE, AND PERMANENTLY, BY SULPHUROUS ACID.

(Under the care of Dr. CHAS. R. DRYSDALE.)Mps. C aged thirty-six, seen first on May 25th, 1869.

She has been suffering for the last month from vomitingof all her meals and constant eructations. The eructationsare incessant, and during the time the patient was in theconsulting-room they occurred eveav minute or two. She

brought up a good deal of frothy and sour clear fluid. Totake a bismuth and hydrocyanic acid draught three timesdaily.June Sth.—No better. Ordered an effervescing draught

thrice daiiy.15th.-No better; eructations as before, and continuedof all her meals. Half a drachm of sulphurousacid in one ounce of -water three times a day.

29th.—The patient says that she is now quite well, andthat after taking the last medicine for a day, the vomitingand eructations ceased.

July Gth.-She has continued free from vomiting since.

Yos GRAEFE ]-,ceii taken ill again since his_return from Italy. I

Reviews and Notices of Books.The Practice of Medicine. By T. HAWKES TANNER, M.D.,

F.L.S., &c. In Two Volumes. Sixth Edition, enlargedand thoroughly revised. pp. 1301. London: Renshaw.1869.

DR. TANNER has always shown in his writings that hepossesses a peculiar faculty of committing to print justthat kind of information which the practitioner mostneeds in every-day practice, and of rejecting useless theoryor hypothetical statement. In no work of the author is thismore conspicuous than in the present and sixth edition of" The Practice of Medicine," which now appears in theform of two handsome volumes, of some 650 pages each,-exceeding, in fact, by no less than 400 pages of new matter,the former edition. When we remember how vastly theliterature of medicine has increased within the last few

years, what shiftings of opinion have taken place, howmuch research of questionable accuracy, and, still more,how great an amount of theorising, has been infused intothe large subject of Medicine, the feature of the work be-fore us to which we have alluded acquires unusual signi-ficance and value, at a time, too, when book manufacturehas reached a dangerous pitch. Though a sixth edition, itis only right, as Dr. Tanner’s work is largely used, that weshould criticise the additions which have now been made to

it, and represent the progress of practical medicine duringthe last four years.The author remarks, in his Preface, taat "inasmuch as

our knowledge of diseases and their treatment has beensteadily advancing since the publication of the last edition,in July, 1865, I have been exceedingly unwilling to allowthese volumes to pass out of my hands until such newmatter as was necessary had been added, and until everypage had been carefully and deliberately conned over."This accounts for some delay in the appearance of thework. The aim of the work, stated in the author’s own

words, is to make "its pages the medium of as much prac-tical information as possible.........to adopt a style whichshould be terse without being obscure......and to give par-ticular prominence to those points which will aid the prac-titioner in the discharge of his responsible duties at thebedside."We have taken certain test subjects, as they may be

called, to ascertain whether the author has succeeded inhis aim. Under the heads of Glucohsemia, Amyloid De-generation, Aphasia, Locomotor Ataxie, Bright’s Disease,Syphilitic Diseases of Internal Organs, &c., we find a

summary of the views of the most recent writers. A verygood illustration is afforded by the way in which phthisisis handled. Dr. Tanner remarks that-

" Phthisis has usually been regarded, until very recently,as synonymous with tubercular disease of the lungs. Thetime, however, seems now to have arrived when it mayadvantageously be allowed that several diverse affections,radically distinct from each other, should be includedunder the common designation of phthisis, or pulmonaryconsumption. Instead therefore of restricting these ex-pressions to indicate that morbid condition which arisesfrom the deposit of tubercles in the lungs, they ought to beemployed as generic terms for those pulmonary diseaseswhich are characterised at first by progressive condensa-tion, and subsequently by suppurative degeneration withexcavation of the affected portions of lung tissue; theselocal changes being in some instances preceded, in othersonly followed, by constitutional disease."-Vol. i., p. 596.The varieties of "phthisis" are then declared to be-

(a) haemorrhagic and embolic; (b) bronchial and pneumonic,including grinders’ asthma or knifegrinders’ rot, miners’

phthisis, and the lung disease seen in millstone-makers,


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