North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826 — John Shaqi
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
The constitutional disorder runs high in these cases,--delirium and
great gastric distress being very common symptoms. The tongue,
especially at its border, is frequently the seat of eruption, which may
be compared to the vesicular stage on the skin, with the summits cut
off. The lining membrane of the mouth and fauces and pharynx, are, we
presume, similarly affected, judging from the soreness of these parts,
and the thick muco-purulent matter sometimes mixed with blood, which is
spit out or brought up by screatus. The subjects most liable to the
roseate eruption, were the intemperate and debauched of the sanguine
temperament.
The _tuberculous_ variety of small-pox was most frequent among the
negroes. The eruption at first consisted of broad papulae, which were
converted into hard, rough, and knotted prominences, tuberculous at base
and flattened in the centre. This was not unaptly called by some the
seal skin eruption. Sore throat, causing the greatest difficulty in
deglutition, and delirium were the almost invariable concomitants of
this variety. Occasionally the patient was in a state of stupor and
disinclination to motion--at other times wakeful and restless, and
requiring coercive means to confine him to his bed. In many instances,
the muscular strength was retained to within a few hours of death. The
fatal termination in these three varieties, confluent, roseate, and
tuberculous, was in the second period of the disease, that is, in the
one corresponding with the completion of maturation, and the absorption
and drying away of the pus in the simple distinct form of small pox.
After some experience, we were enabled, from the appearance of the
eruption at the outset, to presage the event, which in the above
described kinds, was almost universally fatal.
The _erysipelatous_ variety was more an adventitious conversion of the
primary form of the disease, by hospital air and delicacy of the
cutaneous tissue induced by prior irregularities of life, than a
distinct kind to be met with in general practice. It was most commonly
presented to us in persons who had a very copious eruption, interesting
to a great degree the whole cutaneous surface, and in whom the process
of maturation was complete, and the cuticle began to lose its adhesion
to the subjacent tissue. In some cases, even after desquamation was
almost completed, and the skin nearly dry and smooth, erysipelatous
inflammation would supervene, and seem to be repeated on the pulmonary
and gastric surfaces, producing great trouble in respiration and
derangement in the digestive functions, accelerated pulse, and other
symptoms of fever.
We could readily pourtray other nicer shades of the natural small-pox,
but the originals might not perhaps be so readily recognized by
succeeding observers, or their nature well understood by our
readers.[17] Our object being to convey practical knowledge, we pass on
to a notice of the subjects, most liable to suffer from exposure to the
variolous poison.
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