The formation of matter is preceded by great pain, and frequent
startings of the limb during sleep, accompanied with fever, and other
symptoms of severe constitutional disturbance. On the escape of matter
by the natural process from the capsule the painful feelings usually
subside. The abscess may appear, as already stated, near the trochanter
major, or in the back part of the thigh. Matter sometimes makes its way
into the pelvis, through a perforation in the acetabulum, thence it may
fall through the sacro-ischiatic notch into the thigh, and find its
way under the fascia, nearly to the knee; or again, it may present to
the side of the rectum, or even, as I have seen, burst into the bowel
and continue to be discharged thus for a long period. If the treatment
is neglected, abscess succeeds abscess; and in consequence of the
profuse discharge, which may be evacuated from one or many openings
round the joint, the patient is at length exhausted, and sinks. In
some instances the spontaneous cure by anchylosis occurs, as in the
instances from which these sketches are taken. In the one, the head and
neck of the bone had been almost entirely destroyed by ulceration,
before anchylosis had begun; in the other, the change is very slight,
but the head of the femur and os innominatum are inseparably united
by bone, and their cancellated texture runs into each other. Or when
the femur has been dislocated, which is a very rare occurrence, the
disease sometimes gradually abates, and a sort of new joint is formed;
the limb, after some time, may thus again become so far useful to the
patient.
[Illustration]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account