Epidemic cerebro-spinal meningitis and its relation to other forms of meningitis : A report of the State Board of Health of Massachusetts.

  • Massachusetts. Department of Public Health.
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Epidemic cerebro-spinal meningitis and its relation to other forms of meningitis : A report of the State Board of Health of Massachusetts. 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.

    43/216 (page 31)
    headache, constant vomiting, pain in small of back and both calves. On admission, puj^ils regular; some general tenderness in muscles of calves and thighs; great rigidity of neck; Avhole body can be raised without bending neck; movement of head from side to side painful. June 22, pujiils contracted; great pain in lumber region; very restless. Blood count showed 15,000 leucocytes. June 23, noisy and delirious. June 24, delirium continued. June 25, dysphagia; pupils react alike; patient cannot be roused. Died 4.52 P.M The chart shows slight irregular fever, with terminal rise. Post-mortem examination. Case 2. Female, age fourteen years. Entered hospital October 6, 1896. September 21, complained of headache and pain in abdomen. After one week, continual nausea and vomiting, followed by complete annorexia. At the beginning of the illness, had a severe chill. On admission, complained of pain in head, neck, and generally over body ; said it pained her to move; pupils equal; tenderness on pressure over cervical and upper dorsal vertebrae ; attempts to flex or move head from side to side causes pain. October 10, patient has moaned and cried almost continually since admission. When spoken to, complains of pain. From this time until death, on October 17, the condition remained about the same, the patient becoming gi-adually weaker. The chart shows slight increase in temperature, with great irregularity. Post- mortem examination. Case 3. Male, age twenty-six years. Entered hospital Dec. 31, 1896. He had not been feeling well for three weeks ; was found unconscious on bath-room floor (no date given), and was still unconscious when brought into the hospital. UiDon admission, eyes showed slight diverg- ent strabismus; pupils much contracted-, equal, do not react; slight retraction and rigidity of neck, slight rotation to left; reflexes increased. January 2, patient had two or three convulsions; extremities rigid; still unconscious ; very restless ; retraction of neck increased. January 3, condition worse; still unconscious. January 4, has had convulsions nearly all day, with short intermissions; twitching of hands and face. January 4, died. Case 4. Male, age twenty-three years. Entered hospital Dec. 30, 1896. Three days before, had a chill, Avent to bed, and soon began to have severe headache and vomiting. Two days previous, had been taking care of a child which died of inflammation of the brain. Upon admission, very restless, complained of severe pain in head and neck; eyes normal. December 31, blood count showed 16,500 whites. January 6, temperature higher; epistaxis; delirious for past two days. January 11, much improved. January 15, improving slowly. January 23, temperature normal. January 26, discharged well. The appended chart shows the highest temperature found in any case in the