Selected monographs.

  • New Sydenham Society
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Selected monographs. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    of the breast and by a tertian intermittent fever, which lasted three months. A fortnight after its disappearance there was a sharp pain in the left foot, exaggerated by walking, and indeed preventing it. This pain had for its seat the tibio-tarsal articu- lation, and was not accompanied either by redness, or sensible tumefaction, or by fever. It came to an end of itself at the end of a fortnight. Shortly afterwards the left arm became the seat of severe pains, like those due to bruises, especially severe about the articulations, and rendering movements impossible, or at least difficult. There was no redness, tumefaction, fever, or general trouble. This pain finally disappeared at the end of two months. From that time the health was very good up to November, 1850, but for a few palpitations and attacks of breatklessness. At this epoch this woman experienced suddenly a considerable feeling of cold at the end of her fingers, without having been exposed to a low temperature. The nails became violet, and the ends of the fingers a sombre red, and they were the seat of a sharp pain, compared by the patient to that of benumbing by cold. These symptoms continued; they were especially sharp in the morning, disappeared during the day, then in the evening and during the night the painful cold was replaced by a burning and intolerable heat. During these periods cold water calmed the sufferings, but on the contrary excited them in the cold period. These symptoms gained gradually in intensity, and at the end of a fortnight the cold became permanent, and the extremities of the fingers took a tint of deep violet red, passing into black at certain points. The pain similarly became much more severe, and the least contact excited atrocious pains and determined convulsions. All these symptoms were especially acute on the left side. M. Kobert, on being consulted, believed at first that there would supervene one or many whitlows; but after a more attentive examination he concluded that there existed an alteration of the arteries (arteritis), and ordered forty- four leeches to be applied to the palm of the hand and over the ends of the fingers three times over, then laudanum poultices and ethereal draughts. The symptoms were calmed without being cured. At the same epoch the extremity of the nose took a violet tint like the ends of the fingers, and each morning some drops of blood escaped from the nostrils; otherwise there was no pain.
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