Case of foreign body in the air-passages / by James Struthers, M.D.

  • Struthers, James.
Date:
[1852]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Case of foreign body in the air-passages / by James Struthers, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    uuch the same ; he had no rigors, and was free from pain. On the noming of the 24th, he awoke suffering from great increase of ■ough and shortness of breath, and continued durnag the day to ex- ■ctorate, at intervals of a few minutes, large quantities oi' frothy |)uta, deeply tinged with blood, and much more foetid than usual. I \ as asked to visit him at his own house on the 25th, and found him iiiich weaker than when I had last seen him, some weeks previously, fhe cough was constant, the expectoration profase, the sputa frothy uid mixed with florid blood ; the breath and sputa had a gangi'e- ituis odom-, which was very perceptible on approaching the bed. : le had no pain, his chief complaint being of great weakness, dysp- nea, and occasional feeling of suffocation. The respirations were lo; the pulse 130, weak and vdry. On examining the chest, the right •side was found scarcely to move on inspiration, and was tmiversally Hull on percussion ; all natural respiratory soimd was absent; gurg- ling was audible over the greater part, both in front and behind, nvith coarse mucous and subcrepitant rale, towai'ds the upper and (ower parts. Although the voice Avas weak, the vocal resonance was much increased, and there was very distinct bronchophony over the inferior two-thfrds. There was no friction soimd audible. The left liiide was very resonant, and, with the exception of jJueiile respiration, umd some subcrepitous mle, inferiorly, presented nothuig unusual. During the next three days, he became rapidly weaker ; the cough iind dyspncea increased ; he could speak only in monosyllables ; the vespirations rose to 68, and the pulse to 140 ; and he expectorated laily about two pmts of thin bloody spu^ta, which had a strong gan- ;Ti-enoiis odom', and latterly floAved in an ahnost contmuous stream liom the mouth. On the 29th, he became typhoid, had hiccup and light delirium, and died in the evening. Sectio Cadaveris. Along Avith Dr Alison, Avho had seen the case with me during the last two days, I made a post-mortem examination of the body 22 1 lours after death. The features Avere much coUapsed; there was oine yelloAvness of the skin ; and a copious discharge of thin broAvn laid from the mouth and nostrils. Percussion of the chest ehcited he same soimds as dm-mg the last days of life. On opening the thorax, the right kuig, Avith the exception of the ower part of the antci-ior border, Avas foimd firmly adlierent to the vails. The adh sions Avere short, dense, and of a white colom*. The lung Avas removed A\'ithout laceration ; it Avas somcAvhat dimi- liiished in bulk, of a dark red colour, and had a pulpy feel. The apex ■vas occu])ied by a closed cavity, the size of a small orange, which vas distended Avitli a broAvn tUrty-looking fluid of the consistence of ^ream, and having a most mtense gangrenous odour. The wall of iihis cavity approached the pleui-a superiorly ; its inner surface Avas ^eiy irregular, presenting ninnerous shreds of disorganised puhno- 'lary tissue. At the inidtllo of the huig posterioi-ly, and about hall