Acute cerebral meningitis, or hydrocephalus / by C. Evans Reeves.

  • Reeves, C. E. (Charles Evans), 1828-1880.
Date:
1858
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Acute cerebral meningitis, or hydrocephalus / by C. Evans Reeves. 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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    3. Of the Pia Maier. {a) Of the Hemispheres.—The disease occurred in this part of the brain in 5 of the 28 cases which proved fatal. The disease was rapid in its progress. The most jprominent symptoms were headache, delirium, more or less severe, followed, on the occun-ence of effusion, by coma. In one of the cases (No. 7), in which there was effusion of pus on one hemi- sphere, there was paralysis of the opposite side; in another (No. 9), in which pus was also found, but in a larger quantity, rigidity and contraction of the opposite arm and leg; in a third (No. 8), in which pus existed on both hemispheres, there was rigidity of both arms and one leg ; in a fourth (No. 11), there were accesses of convulsions and increased sensitiveness of the skin, but the central portions of the brain were diseased. {h) Of the Base.—The disease was confined to this part of the brain in 3 out of the 28 cases which proved fatal. In 2 of the cases the ventricles were also implicated. The symptoms, when the disease existed here, were pronounced. There was headache ; vomiting and diarrhoea frequently existed; the respiration was often interfered with, being often quick and irregular or noisy, sometimes croupy, and the muscles of the eyes, eyelids, and face, were often convulsed, contracted, or paralysed. Stupor, passing into coma, and general convulsions, frequently occurred. (c) Of the Hemispheres and Base.—The disease occuiTcd generally in 8 out of the 28 cases which proved fatal. 4. Of the Membranes covering the Cerebellum.—The mem- branes of this part of the brain were alone affected in only 1 case (No. 23) out of the 28, which proved fatal, and in 3 with inflam- mation of the cerebral membranes. In one of these (No. 25) the membranes of the cervical portion of the cord were also affected. The chief symptoms which marked the existence of inflammation of the membranes covering this part of the brain, were occipital headache, retraction of the head, stupor passing into coma. In one case (No. 23), in which the cerebellum was found softened, convulsions had existed. 5. Of the Membranes of the Brain and Cord.—The membranes of both were affected in 3 out of the 28 cases which proved fatal. The symptoms indicating the existence of inflammation of the spinal membranes, were rigidity and contraction of the muscles of the neck, back, and extremities, and sometimes of those of the pharynx and larynx ; increased cutaneous sensibility ; convulsive shocks, and sometimes general convulsions. rROGNOSTS. The ])rognosis in the disease must always be unfavourable, particularly when coma or paralysis or convulsions exist. The occurrence of the last symptom on either of the two first, must