A letter on the cholera as it occurred in Cincinnati, Ohio, in October 1832 : addressed to Dr. Short of Lexington, Ky. / by John F. Henry.

  • Henry, J. (John), 1793-1873.
Date:
[1832?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A letter on the cholera as it occurred in Cincinnati, Ohio, in October 1832 : addressed to Dr. Short of Lexington, Ky. / by John F. Henry. 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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    the disordered condition of the senses of seeing and hearing; but many had these who never had any other symptoms of the disease; and I am disposed to think, that when they ap- peared alone, they constituted the mildest form of attack. The next in frequency, but by far the most certain premoni- tory symptom, was the numbness of the extremities—that feel- ing which is produced by impeding the passage of nervous influence. I was in the habit of calling this the remote pre- monitory symptom, because when it appeared, it was gene- rally several days before diarrhoea, or any other symptom. The bowels might be regular, the appetite and sleep good, and the pulse unaltered, and yet this symptom invariably led to the confirmed disease, if unattended to. In some attacks all of these symptoms were present or appeared in quick suc- cession: in a few others, none of them, so far as I could learn, and. these generally assumed the form of bilious colic. But to speak correctly, any derangement of health, at this time, should be ranked among the premonitory symptoms; whether it be diarrhcea—or constipation—voracious or diminished ap- petite vertiginous senses—or morbid sensations in the ex- tremities—dysentery, or some form of fever. The rapidity, with which these symptoms, or initiatory stages, led to the disease in full formation, was exceedingly different. I have seen fever terminate in cholera in thirty- six or forty-eight hours. The diarrhcea was sometimes, in a few hours, followed by prostration of strength, cold extremi- ties, pulselessness, and death. I never saw vomiting in a sin- gle instance without the antecedent diarrhcea; nor do I re- member to have seen even nausea, except under the same circumstances. I need not dwell minutely upon the symp- toms of this strange malady. No person of ordinary saga- city, unless blinded by prejudice, can fail to recognize the first case that may be presented to him. To my mind, how- ever, the diarrhoea, the vomiting, or the cramps, are not more distinctive than the cold, and corrugated, and doughy condi- tion of the integuments; the feeble, vacillating and evanes- cent pulse, and the peculiarly unpleasant alteration of the