An essay on yellow fever : comprising the history of that disease, as it appeared in the island of Antigua in the years 1835, 1839, & 1842, with an appendix continuing the history to 1853 / by Thomas Nicholson.

  • Nicholson, T. J.
Date:
1856
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on yellow fever : comprising the history of that disease, as it appeared in the island of Antigua in the years 1835, 1839, & 1842, with an appendix continuing the history to 1853 / by Thomas Nicholson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    gested, from cardiac orifice to 1{> inch from pylorus. Small intestines full of black inky fluid, which was warm, and in a state of fermentation. Peyer's glands were very conspicuous. colon stained of a dark livid colour, interspersed with red patches. Kidneys healthy. There was half a pint of urine in the bladder. Case 11. Mr S. A. aged 25. I was called at 11 p. m. on the 8tli October, 1342, to visit this young man, a native of Scot- land, who had been but a short time iu the island. 1 was in- formed that he had been complaining of great lassitude all day, with pain in the back and limbs. I found him labour- ing under intense rachialgia and incessant jactitation, with much headache and coldness of the lower extremities. His feet were immersed in hot water, and in that position he was blooded to the extent of thirty ounces with great relief of all the symptoms. His pulse which before the bleeding was 120 and very small, became fuller and less frequent. His skin became moist, and the temperature more equable. He vva* o*<?ered to take large doses of calomel, colocy&th, and jaiap. every two hours till his bowels were emptied. On the morning of the 9th, Dr. Musgrave found him complaining of a return of headache, with an increase of heat, and he thought it advisable to abstract about eight ounces more blood from him. The purgative pills were continued, with the addition of a mixture of the compound powder of jalap, but his bowels were slow in responding. In the course of Monday, the 10th, his stomach became very irritable, and he brought up much larger quantities of fluid than appeared to be ingested. The prescription was a blister to the stomach, five grains of calo- mel every two hours, with effervescing draughts. On the morning of the 11th, he was found much cooler, and quinine wis tried : but the irritability of the stomach prevented a con. tinuance of it. Black vomit and hiccough succeeded ; and he died at six o'clock in the evening. Case hi. Mr. F. P., aged 21, an Englishman, about two years in the island, was attacked 1st November, 1842, with giddiness, and pain in the head and back. When visited, the febrile excitement was fully developed. lie was bled in the erect position till approaching syncope, when profuse per- spiration broke out; the heat was subdued and all the symp-