Manual of differential medical diagnosis / by Condict W. Cutler.

  • Cutler, Condict W. (Condict Walker), 1888-1958.
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Manual of differential medical diagnosis / by Condict W. Cutler. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

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    Respiration. By noting the frequency and character of the respiration we can frequently make a correct diagnosis of thoracic diseases without further examination. If dyspnoea is present, we at once suspect disease of the heart or respiratory apparatus. If pleurisy is present, the respirations will be hurried, short, and catching in character. The breathing is panting in pneumonia, and labored in capillary bronchitis. The pulse and respiration should bear a nearly constant ratio to each other of about 4 to i. If this relation is increased, car- diac failure may be suspected, but if the ratio is diminished, and the respirations are much increased in frequency, an examina- tion of the respiratory organs will probably discover the cause. Opium-poisoning, compression of the brain, diseases of the respiratory centre, etc., will reduce the frequency of the respira- tions. Temperature. The temperature of the patient is of the utmost importance in making a diagnosis. In all acute cases the temperature is, as a rule, elevated. Usually the pulse and temperature rise synchronously ; that is, for every degree rise in temperature, we may expect an in- crease of ten beats in the pulse rate. In some diseases, as typhoid fever, every week presents characteristic variations in the temperature. Although we are apt to gauge the condition of our patient by his range of temperature, it must not be forgotten that in condi- tions of prostration, collapse, shock, etc., the temperature is often normal, or even subnormal. In cholera the temperature falls as low as 94°, while in sunstroke the temperature is frequently ob-