A treatise on the pneumonia of children / by M.M. Rilliet and Barthez. Translated from the French by S. Parkman.

  • Rilliet, Louis-Frédéric-Théodore-Albert, 1814-1861.
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on the pneumonia of children / by M.M. Rilliet and Barthez. Translated from the French by S. Parkman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    92/100 (page 92)
    The mucous membrane of the larger bronchi, of a slightly vivid red, possesses a good consistence. The right pleura presents some rather finer and solid adhesions. The right lung, generally crepitating, but slightly reddened, pre¬ sents, in the middle of its inferior lobe, two nodules of hepatisation of the size of a filbert, in the middle of which are two cavities per¬ fectly similar to those of the opposite side. All the other small bronchi, not dilated, contain mucus perfectly penetrated by air. The subject was taken from us before we could possibly examine the other organs. Remarks.—Although this observation is doubly incomplete, from the want both of the antieedents of the history, and the re¬ mains of the autopsy, we cannot help inserting it from the import¬ ance of the details above mentioned. Besides every thing directly relating to the pneumonia is complete both in the pathological anatomy and auscultation. We see here a remarkable exarpple of our two kinds of bronchial dilatation, and which appear to be seated either in the course, or in the extremities of these tubes. We can establisfi the difference between these cavities and the small pulmonary abscess. Around the bronchial dilatation there is found a lobular pneumonia on the point of becoming general, the hepatised portions being already united by an engorged tissue: the only difference between the portions of the left lower lobe lies in the circumstance that some of them float on the surface, while others sink to the bottom of water—in both eases there was the same colour, and the same friability: there existed here evidently a combination of points of pneumonia in the first and second degree. This opinion, moreover, is confirmed by the lobular pneumonia of the opposite lobe. The symptoms are not less remarkable : we have, however, but a few words to say upon these, having already strongly insisted upon them in the course of the observation. This child, aged only two years, has presented a well-marked example of crepitous rale. The existence of this rale appears somewhat contrary to the lesions which we have found after death, but we find a ready ex¬ planation in the fact that the bronchial mucus was not penetrated by air, and, therefore, could not give to the ear the sensation of bursting bubbles. In these circumstances the inflammation of the lung was manifested by physical signs, belonging to the degree of the disease.