On a case of tapping the pericardium, and on tapping of the pleura in the treatment of cardiac disease / by T. Grainger Stewart.

Date:
[1885?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On a case of tapping the pericardium, and on tapping of the pleura in the treatment of cardiac disease / by T. Grainger Stewart. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    But, while rarely required, paracentesis pericardii has a well- established place. It is unnecessary for me to go into the history of it in detail, but I may remind you of its introduction by Komero of Barcelona in 1819, of its being performed by Schuh in one of Skoda's cases, of Trousseau's successful performance and warm advocacy of it, and of the valuable evidence in its favour supplied by Dr Clifford Allbutt of Leeds. My friend, Dr Philip, has gone over the literature of the subject for me, and lias compared the statis- tical tables prepared by different writers. Three authorities have collected series of cases, namely, Dr Hindenlang of Freiburg, Dr Eoberts of Philadelphia, and Dr Samuel West of London. I have written their results on the table. Hindenlang {Deut. ArcMvf. Iclin. Med. 1879).—Total number of cases reported, 50. In some of these tapping was performed more than once, thus making really 65 tappings, of which were Successful. Unsuccessful. 21 44 Egberts {Paracentesis of the Peo-icardmrn, Philadelphia, 1880).— Total number of cases reported, 60 ; of which Successful. Unsuccessful. 24 36 West {Transactions of the Med. Chir. Soc, London, 1883).—Total number of cases reported, 80; of which Successful. Unsuccessful. 31 49 {H.B.—In almost every case, even in those ultimately unsuccess- ful, temporary relief followed the operation.) Taking West's statistics as basis— Successful. Unsuccessful. 31 49 there have to be added from Hindenlang 3 cases, all of which were unsuccessful; and from Eoberts 7 cases, of which 3 were successful and 4 were unsuccessful; and from other sources (not included in statistics) 7, of which 4 were successful, and 3 were unsuccessful. Thus, from all sources we have 97 cases, of which Successful. Unsuccessful. 38 59 With results such as these, it is clear that the operation deserves recognition as justifiable practice in certain cases. What are the indications for its use ?