Cases of intermittent fever, in which bleeding was employed in the cold stage / [John Mackintosh].

  • Mackintosh, John, -1837
Date:
[1828]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cases of intermittent fever, in which bleeding was employed in the cold stage / [John Mackintosh]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    9/56 (page 9)
    in a sweet sleep. Pulse 84, and of good strength. I was told he had been very faint, and had vomited immediately after we left the house. In an hour after last visit I saw him again ; his body had the natural heat; there was no perspiration; he was still asleep; pulse 80, and full. He was roused after the pulse was numbered, for the purpose of ascertain¬ ing the exact nature of his feelings. He said he had not felt so free from indisposition since the first period of the attack, and that he had been long a stranger to such a comfortable refreshing sleep; took some gruel, soon fell asleep again, and passed an excellent night. Friday 29th.—Said he felt quite well; was free from the pain of head and left hypochondrium, and he thought his strength improved; in fact he walked to the dispensary by himself; B. regular, tongue clean. Saturday 50th.—He came to the dispensary at the visiting hour, and said that he felt himself “ a new man.” Sunday 51st.—He came to the dispensary again, and was seized with the paroxysm a little after the hour of visit. The fit was preceded and accom¬ panied by much slighter pains and general disturbance than any former at¬ tack. In about ten minutes after the fit could be said to be well formed, the rigors were very severe, the tremors violent, and the feeling of debility was so overpowering that he declared he could not support himself longer on a chair ; his breathing was quick and laborious, and his teeth chattered ; I tied up his arm and opened a vein, and actually before three ounces were abstracted, the paroxysm ceased, and with it all the other unpleasant symp¬ toms. Although a minute before he had declared that he could not sit up a moment longer from debility, yet he now said he felt his strength restored, and had no wish to lie down; in less than ten minutes, I had the pleasure of seeing him running home. There was no subsequent heat of skin, and no sweating ; his pulse, before he left the dispensary, was 86, and of good strength ; whereas before the bleeding, it was 100, and so weak as scarcely to be counted. Monday, 1st January.—I sent to inquire how my patient felt; the mes¬ senger was told that he had had a good night, and was out making merry with some friends. On Wednesday he bad a slight chill without subsequent fever or sweat¬ ing ; he afterwards got the sulphate of quinine, and had no more of the disease. Case IX.—A woman, 27 years of age, the mother of several children, expe¬ rienced repeated paroxysms of irregular intermittent for several months, till at last her general health became much impaired under the disease in the tertian form. She was bled by Mr Drever, one of my pupils, towards the termination of a slight cold stage, certainly before the appearance of the febrile symptoms or second stage. About 12 ounces were abstracted ; neither reaction nor a sweat¬ ing stage followed ; and there has since been no return of the complaint, although several months have elapsed. She had neither bark, sulphate of quinine, nor arsenic. In fact, no medicines were prescribed but those of a laxative nature. Case X. — David Lambert, £etat. 36, sailor, residing at No. 9. Couper Street, North Leith, states, that he was attacked with intermittent for the first time on the 9th May 1827, when on his voyage from Beurdeaux, in the ship Enterprize of Newcastle. At the time of attack they were off Dover in very bad weather, ten days from Bourdeaux. Since then the paroxysms have returned daily, the cold stage continuing for three quarters of an hour, often for upwards of an hour. It has always been severe. His general health soon gave way. He left the ship, disabled, and arrived in Leith on the 30th May. Attributes his illness to sleeping in bed with wet clothing, and going frequently on deck from the galley, in a state of profuse perspiration, at the time he acted as cook. When I visited him, he appeared to be very unwell, feverish, restless, and anxious about his