Case of hydrophobia : with remarks / by P. Redfern.

  • Redfern, Peter, 1821-1912.
Date:
1851
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Case of hydrophobia : with remarks / by P. Redfern. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    possible to determine in the present state of our knowledge; for, whilst in amount it appears to fall very far short of a congestion capable of influencing the nervous centres to any material extent by compression, we must not forget the lesson taught us by the patho¬ logy of those cases of cerebral apoplexy in which no trace of con¬ gestion or effusion is found after death. Moreover, congestion ap¬ pears by no means a constant occurrence in hydrophobia, as it was absent in Dr J. A. Sidey’s case 1, examined by Professor Bennett, and in many instances occurring to M. Gendrin, and others. In the cases of Dr Lucas2 and Dr James Struthers3, Dr W. T. Gaird- ner found slight congestion; but neither he nor Professor Bennett could detect any change of structure in the nervous centres, or eighth pair of nerves, though we may be satisfied that they used every existing means for that purpose. In the present instance, I was led to the careful microscopical exa¬ mination of every suspicious part of the nervous centres, and espe¬ cially of the eighth pair of nerves, by the suggestion of Dr Bennett, in his excellent article on Hydrophobia in the u Library of Medi¬ cine,” but the structure of every part appeared perfectly healthy. Such results, in several instances, after the use of our most import¬ ant means of research by different individuals, point to the imper¬ fection of our knowledge, too plainly to be misunderstood. We are still in great darkness regarding the normal action of the nervous centres, and it is, therefore, extremely improbable that we shall be able to comprehend their diseased actions as long as this state re¬ mains. Yet it is the duty of every one who is furnished with the opportunities, to add to the number of carefully conducted patho¬ logical inquiries; for, as physiological and pathological phenomena and laws mutually explain each other, the inquiry may be success¬ fully carried on in both directions at the same time. At present we know nothing of the structural characters of the nervous centres after death from rabies, in the lower animals, though the disease is so common : we have not even ascertained the absence of any lesion capable of being detected by our present means of research. This is, therefore, a very important part of the inquiry; for, if a struc¬ tural lesion causes the fearful symptoms of this disease, there cannot be a doubt that it is capable of being detected in the lower animals as readily as in man ; and if the symptoms occur without a material change, this, too, may be ascertained with equal satisfaction by the same method. I may here remark, that I shall feel greatly obliged for any opportunities of examining animals recently dead of hydro¬ phobia, which may be afforded me by those into whose possession they may happen to fall; and that, should such examinations accu¬ mulate and appear of sufficient importance, I shall not fail to lay the results before the profession. But it is not at all improbable that no I Monthly Journal, vol. xi., p. 506 3 Ibid, vol. xii., p. 9. 2 Ibid, vol. ix., p. 936.