Case of peripheral neuritis of obscure origin, with secondary changes in the spinal cord / by Arch. W. Harrington and John H. Teacher.

  • Harrington, Archibald W. (Archibald Wilson)
Date:
[1911]
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Case of peripheral neuritis of obscure origin, with secondary changes in the spinal cord / by Arch. W. Harrington and John H. Teacher. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    is present at the apex, and signs of consolidation are present at the left base, with a few rales at the right base. Speech is very indistinct. The patient gradually sank, and died on 8th November. Abstract of pathological report {post-mortem No. 6,156).— The body was extremely emaciated, and muscular wasting was very marked. The internal organs showed general atrophy. There was a slight cirrhosis of the kidneys. The cause of death appeared to be broncho-pneumonia. There were numerous calcareous lymphatic glands in the root of the neck. The thyroid was considerably enlarged, soft, and red. It consisted to a large extent of young thyroid tissue showing signs of active pi'oliferation. The condition appeared to be a simple hypertrophy. The brain showed no pathological con- dition, except slight atheroma of the arteries at the base. Changes in the spinal cord were not recognised at the post- mortem examination. The following nerves were examined, and portions taken for microscopic examination, viz., the median, peroneal, recurrent laryngeal, and vagus nerves above the origin of the recurrent laryngeals on both sides. The nerves were much less easily dissected out of the surrounding connective tissue than normal]}^ being evidently'- adherent to it. The pons varolii, medulla oblongata, cord, and nerves were examined by the methods of Marchi, Weigert-Pal and van Gieson. The cord showed pronouiiced degeneration of the posterior columns. This was evident by all three methods. There was a large amount of blackening in sections stained by Marchi's method. The other two methods showed a definite sclerosis, • but there was no shrinkage of the columns, which were full and rounded on the posterior surface (see Fig. 1). The degeneration extended the whole length of the cord, involving the columns of Goll and Burdach about equally. It could not be traced above the nuclei of the medulla oblongata. The pia mater appeared to be slightly thicker and denser than normal. The posterior roots showed advanced degeneration and inter- stitial sclerosis, but less than the peripheral nerves. The anterior nerve roots appeared normal by the Marchi and Weigert methods, but with van Gieson's stain one had the impression that the amount of interstitial tissue was in excess of the normal. The same might also be said of the interstitial tissue in the white matter of the coi'd generally, apart from the definite sclerosis of the posterior columns. The conditions