Curvatures of the spine and spinal diseases : cases sucessfully treated, and reported in the Boston medical & surgical journal / by Charles H. Spring.

  • Spring, Charles H.
Date:
1864
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Curvatures of the spine and spinal diseases : cases sucessfully treated, and reported in the Boston medical & surgical journal / by Charles H. Spring. 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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    dant. This was at first regarded as paralysis, and treated as such; but subsequently attention was directed to the spine, when tenderness was discovered in the dorsal region, at the ninth and tenth dorsal vertebrae. When I first saw the patient, her general health appeared to be good, and the sensation in the limbs was perfect; but there was an almost entire loss of motion. On making percussion over the 9th dorsal ver- tebra, considerable pain was experienced, apparently in the abdominal muscles. Mechanical support was applied in such a manner as to sup- port the weight of the upper extremities, and relieve the pressure upon the diseased vertebrae. This was re-adjusted from time to time as be- came necessary, and syrup, ferri iodidi, xx. gtts. ter die, was given, with manifest improvement. The use of the limbs has been entirely regain- ed, and the patient walks with ease to my office, which is a mile dis- tant from her home, and is able to walk up and down stairs without assistance. In this case there has been no perceptible curvature, as the paralysis began so soon after the disease commenced in the vertebrae, that all curvature was prevented by the application of mechanical support. Case II. — A son of Mr. Lucius Dennison, of Norway, Me., aged 3 years, was placed under my care for treatment of Pott's disease of the spine, July 15th, 1861. The disease commenced six months previous, in the fifth dorsal vertebrae, and soon involved the sixth. When I first saw the pa- tient there was a considerable degree .of curvature — as may be seen by the outer dotted line in the engravine (Fig. I.) — and it was increasing rap- idly ; the head Avas thrown back upon the dorsal region, as is usually the case where much curvature exists. There was considerable dyspnoea, and the pa- tient was easily fatigued by slight ex- ertion ; but little pain was experienced, though a slight jar would produce it; there was a general condition of ill health, and the patient had been failing somewhat rapidly. The head was large, the hair light, the abdomen en- larged, and there were other indications of a scrofulous condition of the system.