Natural history, pathology, and treatment of the epidemic fever : at present prevailing in Edinburgh and other towns, illustrated by cases and dissections / by John Rose Cormack.

Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Natural history, pathology, and treatment of the epidemic fever : at present prevailing in Edinburgh and other towns, illustrated by cases and dissections / by John Rose Cormack. 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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    CHAPTER L OKDINARY, OR MODERATELY CONGESTIVE FORM OF THE DISEASE, In ordinary cases, the countenance of the patient has a peculiar appearance, which we may designate bronzed^ for want of a better term. Though no words can accurately convey what is thus at- tempted to be described, the appearance itself is very characte- ristic, and has never failed to arrest and interest the medical visitors to the hospital, to whom it has been pointed out. The symptoms of invasion are in all cases remarkably similar, both as to their nature, and order of occurrence. The patient is first seized with coldness, rigors, headache, pain in the back, and more or less prostration of strength; but the latter symptom, it must be remarked, is often not at all urgent, many walking long distances from the country to the hospital, especially during the first days of the disease; and a still greater number of the destitute town patients lounge about the streets after their seizure, and come in to us on their legs. After a period, varying from less than half an hour to seve- ral hours, the cold fit terminates, when the severity of the headache greatly increases, and a dry burning heat comes over the whole body, accompanied by much thirst and general un- easiness. The hot stage is succeeded by a sweat, usually very profuse, continuing for a number of hours, and seldom attended or fol- lowed by any relief to the headache or other pains. Sometimes, though rarely, there is no sweating for two or three fiay.s after the seizure. Occasionally also, there is no well-marked hot stage between the cold and the sweating fits; and in at least a few cases, the sweat breaks out on the face and upper part of the body, whilst the patient is yet in his initiatory rigors. It is proper to remark, that during the whole course of the disorder, the perspiration has a characteristic disagreeable smell,