miscellaneous cases

1
399 bed. She took a little wine and water after the operation, though previously she had been quite unable to swallow it. Seen in the evening at half-past seven, she was found in comparative ease, breathing perfectly well. For about a month she went on apparently improving and gradually gaining strength, but with continued severe soreness of throat, which quite prevented her taking medi- cine or wine, or indeed anything but the blandest fluids and simplest articles of diet, beef-tea given in jelly even causing her great distress. Still she managed to take large quan- tities of milk, eggs, sponge cakes, oysters, &c.; and on January 14th and 15th she contrived to swallow a pint of wine without much pain. Jan. 20th.-She appeared weaker, her appetite failing; and from this time she rapidly sank, and died on the 28th. Dr. Drysdale made a post-mortem examination of the throat, and his notes are appended:- Autopsy, thirty-six hours after death.-Body extremely ema- ciated ; rigor mortis well marked. Owing to the patient’s relatives being Irish Catholics, there was some difficulty in examining the body, and hence only the trachea and larynx were examined. The epiglottis was found to be extensively ulcerated, nearly one half of its dimensions being eaten away. There was much thickening of the parts around the arytenoid cartilages, the false vocal cords were ulcerated, and the space between the true and false cords was full of purulent matter, the tissues adjoining being all much thickened and inflamed. The appearances were those of simple inflammation of the larynx, and there was no impli- cation of the gullet or neighbouring organs. MISCELLANEOUS CASES. WITH this heading we propose to furnish from time to time a column which shall contain a brief reference to medical and surgical cases under treatment at the moment in various hospitals. Our aim will be to provide a sort of index to cases of disease, so that scientific workers in various directions may learn in what quarter they can see for themselves, or gather information respecting, a patient whose malady especially interests them. Registrars, house- physicians, and house-surgeons have it in their power to increase materially the utility of this column of reference with very little personal trouble; and we rely with con- fidence upon their help in a work intended particularly for the mutual convenience of those engaged in the study of disease as it is presented in the wards of our hospitals. In UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL, the following are amongst the cases at present under treatment:- 1. Phantom tumour.-Sir Wm. Jenner has a case of phan- tom tumour. There is globular resonant distension of the whole abdomen. The woman is hysterical, and passes almost neutral urine. A short time since Dr. Reynolds had a case of similar kind in the hospital. Having placed the woman under the influence of chloroform, and thus re- duced the tumour, he had her laced up very tightly, so that, on recovering consciousness, fresh distensions could not take place. She left the hospital cured, at least tem-porarily. 2. Diabetes.-Under Sir Wm. Jenner, Dr. Reynolds, and Dr. Wilson Fox, there have lately been three cases of dia- betes treated by peroxide of hydrogen. One patient died, one went out unrelieved, and the third remains under treat- ment. The conclusion arrived at has been that the remedy was useless. No effect was produced upon the quantity of sugar or water. So long as his diet was not restricted the existing patient did not improve. 3. Rheumatoid arthritis.-Under Dr. Reynolds’s care is a very characteristic example of this obscure malady. A woman, aged thirty, has great enlargement of various joints-knees, knuckles, and wrists, of two years’ duration, with grating and severe pains, worst at night. No evident cause, incidental or hereditary. She is taking syrup of iodide of iron and cod-liver oil. 4. Aneurism of descending aorta.-A woman, aged forty- two, under the care of Dr. Reynolds. She was a patient at Christmas, 1867. There was then hoarseness of voice, which is no longer observed. She has never had contraction of the pupil. The swelling begins below left clavicle, and extends downwards, projecting much, to within an inch of the nipple. Outwards it passes to the axilla, and inwards to the sternum. She noticed the swelling a year and a half ago, but six months before had suffered from giddiness in the head, and vomiting. There is a rough systolic bruit; second sound inaudible. ; 5. Tapping in pleurisy.-Dr. Fox has a man under his care with pleurisy, who was tapped by Mr. Berkeley Hill a short time since, and a pint of fluid let out. The sixth interspace, right side below axilla, was the point at which a trocar fitted with india-rubber tubing was inserted. To avoid the entrance of air, the tube was made to discharge its contents under water. The wound was closed immediately, and re- mains healed. The man was greatly relieved. 6. Epithelioma of the t<M’</)M:.&mdash;Under Mr. Marshall’s care is a young man with epithelioma of the larynx. He is fed by the stomach pump. Inhalations of iodide of potassium, and sipping of morphia with glycerine, are amongst the palliatives which have been tried, but without any relief to his distress. 7. Necrosis in the neighbourhood of the shoulder-joint.- Under the same surgeon’s care is an interesting case of ex- tensive disease of bone surrounding the shoulder-joint, but not involving it. Bits of bone have been removed, and the man moves pretty freely a joint which at the first aspect looks seriously involved. , 8. Division of femur for bony anchylosis.-Mr. Erichsen has cut through the femur of a young woman thus affected, in accordance with the plan recommended in America, by Drs. Bauer and Sayre. The head and neck of the bone had been absorbed, and so had a great part of the acetabulum. The bone was sawn through as close to the pelvis as pos- sible. There is a rather large longitudinal wound down the outside of upper part of thigh, but the patient seems to be doing well. Foreign Cleanings. A SEVERE CASE OF TETANUS; RECOVERY. A RAILWAY GUARD, under the care of Dr. Ademollo, of the Hospital of Grosseto (Italy), had met with a gunshot wound of the foot, which shattered the whole plantar portion. The case went on satisfactorily for seventeen days, when trismus was observed. Tetanic symptoms soon supervened, and Dr. Ademollo began treating the case energetically. For eleven days various sedatives were used, and the patient eventually left the hospital in good condition. The details of the case are long, but interesting. The following items will show that no reliance was placed in expectancy:-During the above - mentioned eleven days the man took internally 85 grains of extract of opium, one ounce of laudanum, 5 grains of acetate of morphia, 45 grains of extract of belladonna, 34 grains of extract of hyoscyamus, 80 grains of assafoetida, and 123 grains of camphor. As outward means, he had half an ounce of extract of opium, almost an ounce of tincture of opium, more than an ounce of extract of belladonna, and thirty-four warm baths.&mdash;L’fwpctfa.i’o of Florence, Dec. 16th, 1868. PHOSPHORUS IN CATARACT. We alluded, some time ago, to M. Tavignot’s practice in Paris, respecting his success in curing cataract, without operation, by means of instillation of phosphorus oil, and frictions round the orbit with phosphorus ointment. We now find in L’Imparziale, of Florence, of Feb. 1st, 1869, that Professor Gioppi has written to the Gazette Med.Prov.Venete, of Dec. 26th, 1868, to the effect that he has used this treat- ment in six cases, which all proved failures. He carried on the treatment for a fortnight, and, finding no change, operated in the ordinary way. Perhaps the time allotted was too short. The professor says, however, that he means to go on trying Tavignot’s process. CALABAR BEAN IN TETANUS. In the Gaz. Mid. de Paris (Feb. 20th, 1869), we find a case of tetanus mentioned by M. Bourneville, in which the Cala- bar bean was used unsuccessfully. The patient was a boy, nine years of age, whose knee had been severely wounded. Amputation was proposed, but the parents refused, until evident signs of trismus appeared. They at last consented to have the limb removed, but the spasmodic disease made . regular progress, in spite of the steady use of the Calabar bean, and the boy died five days after the amputation.

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399

bed. She took a little wine and water after the operation,though previously she had been quite unable to swallow it.Seen in the evening at half-past seven, she was found incomparative ease, breathing perfectly well.For about a month she went on apparently improving

and gradually gaining strength, but with continued severesoreness of throat, which quite prevented her taking medi-cine or wine, or indeed anything but the blandest fluids andsimplest articles of diet, beef-tea given in jelly even causingher great distress. Still she managed to take large quan-tities of milk, eggs, sponge cakes, oysters, &c.; and on

January 14th and 15th she contrived to swallow a pint ofwine without much pain.

Jan. 20th.-She appeared weaker, her appetite failing;and from this time she rapidly sank, and died on the 28th.

Dr. Drysdale made a post-mortem examination of thethroat, and his notes are appended:-

Autopsy, thirty-six hours after death.-Body extremely ema-ciated ; rigor mortis well marked. Owing to the patient’srelatives being Irish Catholics, there was some difficulty inexamining the body, and hence only the trachea and larynxwere examined. The epiglottis was found to be extensivelyulcerated, nearly one half of its dimensions being eatenaway. There was much thickening of the parts around thearytenoid cartilages, the false vocal cords were ulcerated,and the space between the true and false cords was fullof purulent matter, the tissues adjoining being all muchthickened and inflamed. The appearances were those ofsimple inflammation of the larynx, and there was no impli-cation of the gullet or neighbouring organs.

MISCELLANEOUS CASES.

WITH this heading we propose to furnish from time totime a column which shall contain a brief reference tomedical and surgical cases under treatment at the moment invarious hospitals. Our aim will be to provide a sort ofindex to cases of disease, so that scientific workers invarious directions may learn in what quarter they can seefor themselves, or gather information respecting, a patientwhose malady especially interests them. Registrars, house-physicians, and house-surgeons have it in their power toincrease materially the utility of this column of referencewith very little personal trouble; and we rely with con-fidence upon their help in a work intended particularly forthe mutual convenience of those engaged in the study ofdisease as it is presented in the wards of our hospitals.In UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL, the following are

amongst the cases at present under treatment:-1. Phantom tumour.-Sir Wm. Jenner has a case of phan-

tom tumour. There is globular resonant distension of thewhole abdomen. The woman is hysterical, and passesalmost neutral urine. A short time since Dr. Reynolds hada case of similar kind in the hospital. Having placed thewoman under the influence of chloroform, and thus re-

duced the tumour, he had her laced up very tightly, sothat, on recovering consciousness, fresh distensions could nottake place. She left the hospital cured, at least tem-porarily.

2. Diabetes.-Under Sir Wm. Jenner, Dr. Reynolds, andDr. Wilson Fox, there have lately been three cases of dia-betes treated by peroxide of hydrogen. One patient died,one went out unrelieved, and the third remains under treat-ment. The conclusion arrived at has been that the remedywas useless. No effect was produced upon the quantity ofsugar or water. So long as his diet was not restricted theexisting patient did not improve.

3. Rheumatoid arthritis.-Under Dr. Reynolds’s care is avery characteristic example of this obscure malady. Awoman, aged thirty, has great enlargement of variousjoints-knees, knuckles, and wrists, of two years’ duration,with grating and severe pains, worst at night. No evidentcause, incidental or hereditary. She is taking syrup ofiodide of iron and cod-liver oil.

4. Aneurism of descending aorta.-A woman, aged forty-two, under the care of Dr. Reynolds. She was a patient atChristmas, 1867. There was then hoarseness of voice, whichis no longer observed. She has never had contraction of the

pupil. The swelling begins below left clavicle, and extendsdownwards, projecting much, to within an inch of thenipple. Outwards it passes to the axilla, and inwards tothe sternum. She noticed the swelling a year and a half

ago, but six months before had suffered from giddiness inthe head, and vomiting. There is a rough systolic bruit;second sound inaudible.

; 5. Tapping in pleurisy.-Dr. Fox has a man under his carewith pleurisy, who was tapped by Mr. Berkeley Hill a shorttime since, and a pint of fluid let out. The sixth interspace,right side below axilla, was the point at which a trocarfitted with india-rubber tubing was inserted. To avoid theentrance of air, the tube was made to discharge its contentsunder water. The wound was closed immediately, and re-mains healed. The man was greatly relieved.

6. Epithelioma of the t<M’</)M:.&mdash;Under Mr. Marshall’s careis a young man with epithelioma of the larynx. He is fedby the stomach pump. Inhalations of iodide of potassium,and sipping of morphia with glycerine, are amongst thepalliatives which have been tried, but without any relief tohis distress.

7. Necrosis in the neighbourhood of the shoulder-joint.-Under the same surgeon’s care is an interesting case of ex-tensive disease of bone surrounding the shoulder-joint, butnot involving it. Bits of bone have been removed, and theman moves pretty freely a joint which at the first aspectlooks seriously involved. ,

8. Division of femur for bony anchylosis.-Mr. Erichsenhas cut through the femur of a young woman thus affected,in accordance with the plan recommended in America, byDrs. Bauer and Sayre. The head and neck of the bone hadbeen absorbed, and so had a great part of the acetabulum.The bone was sawn through as close to the pelvis as pos-sible. There is a rather large longitudinal wound downthe outside of upper part of thigh, but the patient seems tobe doing well.

Foreign Cleanings.A SEVERE CASE OF TETANUS; RECOVERY.

A RAILWAY GUARD, under the care of Dr. Ademollo, of theHospital of Grosseto (Italy), had met with a gunshot woundof the foot, which shattered the whole plantar portion. Thecase went on satisfactorily for seventeen days, when trismuswas observed. Tetanic symptoms soon supervened, and Dr.Ademollo began treating the case energetically. For elevendays various sedatives were used, and the patient eventuallyleft the hospital in good condition. The details of the caseare long, but interesting. The following items will showthat no reliance was placed in expectancy:-During theabove - mentioned eleven days the man took internally85 grains of extract of opium, one ounce of laudanum,5 grains of acetate of morphia, 45 grains of extract ofbelladonna, 34 grains of extract of hyoscyamus, 80 grainsof assafoetida, and 123 grains of camphor. As outwardmeans, he had half an ounce of extract of opium, almost anounce of tincture of opium, more than an ounce of extractof belladonna, and thirty-four warm baths.&mdash;L’fwpctfa.i’oof Florence, Dec. 16th, 1868.

PHOSPHORUS IN CATARACT.

We alluded, some time ago, to M. Tavignot’s practice inParis, respecting his success in curing cataract, withoutoperation, by means of instillation of phosphorus oil, andfrictions round the orbit with phosphorus ointment. Wenow find in L’Imparziale, of Florence, of Feb. 1st, 1869, thatProfessor Gioppi has written to the Gazette Med.Prov.Venete,of Dec. 26th, 1868, to the effect that he has used this treat-ment in six cases, which all proved failures. He carried on thetreatment for a fortnight, and, finding no change, operatedin the ordinary way. Perhaps the time allotted was tooshort. The professor says, however, that he means to goon trying Tavignot’s process.

CALABAR BEAN IN TETANUS.

In the Gaz. Mid. de Paris (Feb. 20th, 1869), we find a caseof tetanus mentioned by M. Bourneville, in which the Cala-bar bean was used unsuccessfully. The patient was a boy,nine years of age, whose knee had been severely wounded.Amputation was proposed, but the parents refused, untilevident signs of trismus appeared. They at last consentedto have the limb removed, but the spasmodic disease made

. regular progress, in spite of the steady use of the Calabarbean, and the boy died five days after the amputation.