On characteristic modes of fatal termination in multiple neuritis, with clinical and pathological investigation of an illustrative case / by G. A. Gibson and R. A. Fleming.

Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On characteristic modes of fatal termination in multiple neuritis, with clinical and pathological investigation of an illustrative case / by G. A. Gibson and R. A. Fleming. 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.

    6/30 (page 416)
    connections, and more especially of those subserving the respiratory functions. One of the most striking points pre- sented by patients cut off in this way, is that, in spite of the peripheral lesions, there is no appearance of trophic changes —no destructive processes in the skin or any of the viscera, simply a failure of the organic functions of some vital structure. One of the most instructive cases belonging to the group just referred to was under observation in Ward 25 last year, and as the symptoms and lesions form a most striking clinical picture, we propose in this contribution to describe and analyse them. For notes of the case we are indebted to Mr. W. A. Garbutt, who, at the time of the admission of the patient, was acting as Resident Physician. Clinical Report. Mrs. H., let. 38, housewife, was admitted to Ward 25 of the Royal Infirmary, on the recommendation of Dr. Yeitch, on 2nd April 1894, complaining of general debility, great weakness of the hands, and almost complete loss of power in the feet and legs, with numbness, and a sensation of “ pins and needles ” in the legs and arms. The weakness in the legs had lasted a fortnight, and the numbness and loss of power in the upper limbs had been present for four days. Her family history was good; her parents dying of old age. She herself had a family of six healthy children. She had been married twelve years, and had been pregnant six times. All her labours were easy, but she suffered from swollen legs during all her pregnancies. Her last labour occurred three months before the commencement of the illness for which she was admitted. Two days after her confinement she got up for a short time, and on the next day she got up altogether. She suckled the baby. Before her latest illness she had always been very healthyr and had only suffered from scarlet fever when a child. Her present illness began about a fortnight previous to her admission, when she had a “ shivering ” attack, and other