Neurosyphilis : $b Modern systematic diagnosis and treatment presented in one hundred and thirty-seven case historiesSouthard, Elmer Ernest
Science
Neurosyphilis : $b Modern systematic diagnosis and treatment presented in one hundred and thirty-seven case histories
Southard, Elmer Ernest
Neurosyphilis
CLINICALLY UNIMPROVED 16 32%
C.S.F. WEAKER 7 14%
C.S.F. UNALTERED 9 18%
MASSACHUSETTS COMMISSION ON MENTAL DISEASES
NOVEMBER, 1916
CHART 25
=Mentally=, there was a degree of depression and worry hardly out of
keeping with the general situation. Despite the preservation of memory,
Mr. Stone failed to do rather simple arithmetical calculations; this was
the more remarkable as in his business he had to handle figures a great
deal and had been doing so until recently. There was a slight tremor in
his writing, as well as a certain difficulty in enunciating test
phrases. Insomnia, irritability, and a feeling of nervousness and of
being tired out, completed the picture.
A suggestion for diagnosis would be classically offered by the
Argyll-Robertson pupils. Should not a patient with the Argyll-Robertson
pupils have either tabes or paresis? However, in favor of tabes, besides
the pupil, are to be counted merely the troubles with the eyes. In the
direction of paresis we have to consider speech defect, to say nothing
of less definite symptoms such as insomnia and increased irritability.
We are inclined to think, however, that the disease in this case is
meningovascular. This diagnosis is suggested by the cranial nerve
palsies and by the headache. Headache is much more rarely a phenomenon
in the paretic type of neurosyphilis than in the meningovascular type.
In point of fact, the spinal fluid phenomena bore out the diagnosis of
MENINGOVASCULAR NEUROSYPHILIS inasmuch as the globulin, albumin,
cellular content, gold sol, and W. R.’s were all weakly positive.
1. How far can we regard the cardiorenal defects as syphilitic?
Perhaps we may do so on the general principle of parsimony in
scientific interpretation.
The diagnostic lumbar puncture led to an extremely severe exacerbation
of the pains on the left side of the head. In fact, these pains could
not be held in check by the exhibition of pyramidon. Mr. Stone regarded
the pain as due to the lumbar puncture. However, there was no
improvement in the pain in the prone position,—a feature characteristic
of lumbar puncture pains. Upon administration of salvarsan, this local
pain rapidly disappeared. In fact, there was a startling improvement;
the ocular palsies disappeared in a few weeks, although these palsies
had been present for several months before the administration of
salvarsan. The blood pressure was reduced; the urine became negative.
Perhaps the most startling feature of all (although of this we are not
sure) was that the patient states he was accepted by a life insurance
company although he had been twice refused previously.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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