North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826Various
History
North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826
Various
Medicine -- Periodicals
ARTICLE II.--_Case of Purpura in an Infant, attended with Extraordinary
Symptoms._ By R. M. HUSTON, M. D., &c.
On the 28th of August last, A---- V----, after a moderate labour of four
hours' continuance, was delivered of a female child. About a month
previously, she had laboured under an attack of intermittent fever,
which yielded, in a few days, to the ordinary treatment. She was 23
years of age, an English-woman by birth, had generally enjoyed good
health, and was as well as usual at the time of her confinement. Her
labour was strictly natural, and her delivery accomplished without any
extraordinary assistance.
At birth there was nothing remarkable about the child. Its breathing was
natural, its skin of the usual colour and appearance; in short, all the
common indications of a continuance of life and health were present. A
few hours, however, after birth, it became uneasy, cried much, and
showed signs of colic. The nurse, supposing these symptoms to arise from
flatulence, administered some warm tea; but without any apparent
advantage. On the following day, I saw it again, and learned, that it
had evacuated a considerable quantity of urine, and some intestinal
matter, of the ordinary appearance after birth. The spasms continuing at
intervals, a teaspoonful of castor oil was ordered, to evacuate any
remaining meconium, that might lie in the bowels, producing irritation;
upon the presence of which, it was presumed the spasms depended. It
operated well, but without producing the desired relief. On the next
day, viz. forty-eight hours after birth, a number of bluish or purple
spots were observed on different parts of the child's body, but most
numerous on the extremities. They were of various sizes, from that of a
mustard seed, up to that of a grain of Indian corn. Some were slightly
elevated, but most of them were not in the least so. In the majority,
there was a minute central spot, or little point, more red or pink
coloured than the blue areola, by which it was surrounded. In many
instances, these little points projected, so as to become manifest to
the touch. In the course of twenty-four hours, the spots, which had
first appeared, began to decline, leaving a greenish mark, very like the
remains of a bruise; but much more rapidly than these declined, others
of larger size appeared on different parts of the child's body.
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