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
1. What are the clinical evidences of syphilis outside the nervous
system? The brownish branny eruptions of the skin, the depressed
scars and the scaly eruption on right heel and sole are very
suggestive of syphilis. Such clinical evidences of syphilis are
very important in systematic examination. Although the laboratory
tests are of the utmost assistance in the diagnosis of syphilis,
the clinical signs should not be neglected, and no physician
should rest satisfied with laboratory signs alone. X-ray diagnosis
of bone conditions sometimes succeeds when all other methods have
failed.
=GUMMA of cerebral cortex verified by operation; death.=
=Case 27.= The presenting picture in the case of David Tannenbaum was
that of deep dementia, in which condition the patient was brought to the
hospital. There was a meagre history to the effect that about four
months before admission, he had lost his job in a hotel through lack of
further work. We heard that at this time he had begun to suffer with
excruciating pains in the head; at first, worse at night, later, worse
by day. It appeared that this pain, though it came and went, was chiefly
localized on the left side of the head. For a fortnight, Tannenbaum had
been dragging his legs, until finally he had become unable to walk at
all.
_Pari passu_ with these developments, Tannenbaum had become mentally
confused and irritable, and his memory had become untrustworthy. For
several days before admission, an appearance of marked dementia was
presented, with slow incoherent, or at all events, irrelevant words, and
a complete disorientation for person. However, his vision had become so
poor that it would have been hard for him to have recognized any one.
It appeared that the family history was entirely negative; that the
patient was without education but had been physically very strong, and
had been fairly successful at first in the junk business, and later in
the clothing business; but latterly he had been less fortunate in the
clothing business, and finally had to resort to work as a laborer around
a hotel.
His wife had had eleven pregnancies with but one miscarriage.
Nevertheless, out of the eleven pregnancies, there were now but four
living children.
=Physically=, Tannenbaum was a rather small man; he was flabby and
looked as if he had recently lost weight. The skin showed areas of
pigmentation on the face and sides of the neck, and some dark
copper-colored circular areas, marble-size, in the neck (syphilitic?).
There was a slight radial arteriosclerosis. The heart was slightly
enlarged with distant and indistinct sounds. There was a small
pedunculated growth on the right side of the abdomen.
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