The pathology and treatment of yellow fever : with some remarks upon the nature of its cause and its prevention / by H.D. Schmidt.

  • H. D. Schmidt
Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The pathology and treatment of yellow fever : with some remarks upon the nature of its cause and its prevention / by H.D. Schmidt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    upon the various mucous membranes of the body in the numer- ous autopsies which I made. Failing, however, in my attempts to discover anything in support of this theory, I did not hesitate to discard it; for, as regards the fungi met with in the black vomit, it is obvious that the germs, from which they are derived, reach the stomach with the food and drink, and with the saliva of the patient, where they undoubtedly find the necessary condi- tions for their development. In continuation of our sketch of the symptoms observed in the third stage of the disease, we may state that severe and danger- ous as they appear to be, and really are, they do not necessarily determine the death of the patient. On the contrary, even at this period, the disease may still take a favorable turn. In such a case, the fever, which may have lasted about twelve hours, —rarely more—gradually subsides, and with it all other symp- toms assume a milder character. The skin becomes moist, the pulse falls again, though remaining very feeble and compressible. The gastric symptoms have greatly diminished, the vomiting lias ceased, and only some occasional eructations may be observed. The temperature, though still above 100° F., has fallen consider- ably, the defervescence continuing until convalescence is estab- lished. The delirium also passes, leaving behind a moderate cephalalgia. The most prominent symptom now left is the great nervous prostration. The nervous energy of the patient has been wasted, and all that remains scarcely suflBces for the ordi- nary supply of the various organs of the body. Nevertheless, with all this damage, the patient may rally, and with the proper nursing, and careful treatment, convalescence may be established, though, in most of these cases, it is tardy, and often accompanied by other complications, such as diarrhoea, abscesses, periostitis of the tibia, suppurative parotitis, etc. I have seen a number of cases recover after black vomit had occurred, particularly children. If, on the other hand, no amelioration of the disease occurs in the beginning of the third stage, the symptoms above described assume a character still more grave. The temperature rises still higher, while the pulse often sinks, sometimes to rise again before death. Not only more black vomit is thrown up from the
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