Lecture on the action of the cholera poison on the body, and its nature and history outside the body : delivered at a meeting of the Bengal branch of the Brit. Med. Assn. on the 19th January, 1870 : and the discussion of the subject on the 31st January and 8th February, 1870 / by John Murray.

  • John Murray
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lecture on the action of the cholera poison on the body, and its nature and history outside the body : delivered at a meeting of the Bengal branch of the Brit. Med. Assn. on the 19th January, 1870 : and the discussion of the subject on the 31st January and 8th February, 1870 / by John Murray. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Iu the more ordinary form of the disease the patient is purged, generally in the early morning; the evacuations are at first na- tural, copious, and liquid, with a little tormina, and uneasy feel- ing in the epigastrium, approaching to heart-burn ; the body is cool, the pulse quiet, and the intellect clear ; but the counten- ance is dark, the eyes congested, the nails look blue, and there are occasionally flying cramps. This is soon followed by the vomiting of undigested food, eaten perhaps one or two days before—then copious congee-like evacuations from the bowels and stomach; intense burning pain in the epigastrium, low, sinking feeling, cold clammy perspiration, sometimes very profuse, feeble pulse, livid characteristic countenance, and cold breath. There is no secretion of bile or urine; the only gland that sometimes continues to act is the mammary in nursing mothers. There are generally cramps ascending from the toes aud fingers towards the body or diaphragm; the higher they ascend the greater the danger implied; but they are often absent, and generally disappear in the worst cases, for some time before death. In these cases the vomiting and purging also cease; restless moving of the body comes on, whilst the patient lies with the eyes sunk, half-closed, congested and glazed; semi-conscious and occasionally wandering; when roused he still complains of the sinking, burning pain in the epigastrium, and calls for water. The pulse is not perceptible at the wrist, and there aro long intervals in the breathing. It is wonderful how long this moribund state will sometimes last, before death closes the scene; aud still more wonderful that in a few cases successful i*e-action takes ]dace. There is great tendency to syncope or fainting, in collapse, and even after re- action has made considerable progress. The simple act of assuming the erect posture, or even sitting up in bed, has in many instances been followed by the patient falling back in a faint, from which he never rallied, or merely struggled on a little longer before death ; in theso cases coagula arc found in the heart after death. In most casses there is an effort at re-action.