Report of the epidemic cholera as it appeared in the Town's Hospital of Glasgow, in February and March, 1832 : with cases and observations / by W. Auchincloss.

Date:
1832
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the epidemic cholera as it appeared in the Town's Hospital of Glasgow, in February and March, 1832 : with cases and observations / by W. Auchincloss. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    Face sharpened. Lips livid. Eyes sunk deep in sockets, and surrounded by a blue circle. Tone of voice gone. Pulseless at wrist—and cold and clammy all over. Tongue moist, but perfectly cold.—Respiration rather oppressed. Discharges of the colour and consistence of meal sharings.—Hands and finders shrivelled and bluish. This person died at 10 o’clock the same evening, never having rallied from the state of depression in which he was admitted. The usual stimulants, external and internal, were used without effect. In this case the skin exhibited more of the blue colour, than any which occurred during the epidemic. Inspection 12 hours after death. Head.—Congestion of vessels of dura matter. Considerable effusion under arach- noid tunic covering both hemispheres, with thickening of that membrane. Vessels on surface of brain greatly engorged with dark blood. Cortical substance unusually pale externally, but on making a section, black blood oozed out. Large quantity of serum effused into lateral ventricles and at base of brain. Several hydatids in substance of choroid plexus, but little or no turgidity of its vessels. Cerebellum unusually soft. Thorax.—Extensive adhesions, apparently of longstanding, between pleurae on both sides. Large mass of coagulated fibrin in right ventricle, extending into auricle and pul- monary arteries. The auricle and vessels terminating in it, ■were gorged with dark-coloured fluid blood. The left ventricle was empty, but auricle of that side contained dark coloured blood. There was a large fibrinous concretion at the root of the aorta. Lungs filled with blood, which flowed out freely on section, but these organs were otherwise healthy. There was nothing unusual in the large vessels and nerves of the neck. Alxlomen.—Recent adhesions between convolutions of smaller intestines. Vessels of mesentery distended with dark blood. Duodenum filled with whitish coloured matter. Mucous coat of smaller intestines softened, and ecchymosed in several parts. These appearances were also observed on the inner surface of stomach, which contained a quantity of greenish fluid. Transverse arch of colon very much con- tracted, and its descending arch and sigmoid flexure greatly distended with flatus. Liver rather pale. Gall bladder filled with dark bile, of the appearance of tar. Urinary bladder very much contracted, and contained no urine. Kidneys healthy. Case 5.—James Robertson, aged 00, an idiot, subject to