Some account of the last yellow fever epidemic of British Guiana / by Daniel Blair ; edited by John Davy.

Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Some account of the last yellow fever epidemic of British Guiana / by Daniel Blair ; edited by John Davy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    41/222 (page 21)
    are tubercle*, dyspepsia, aneurism, and malignant tumours; those which are mild and of rate occurrence are the exan- themata and whooping cough: morbus Brightii, [albuminous urine] when it occurs, is a curable symptom: chronic bron- chitis, in a tubercular diathesis, rapidly recovers after arrival here. The air is so bland that the knee or other joints are un- hesitatingly opened if required for the escape of inflammatory or hydropic secretions; the subcutaneous operation is un- necessary. Compound fractures, such as in other countries would be looked upon as hopeless, generally do well here: flesh wounds heal readily by the first intention. On the other hand, the countries of Demerara and Essequibo require about 3000 ounces of quinine for annual use, or nearly a scruple for every individual, f Gout and rheumatism are not uncommon, and the tetanic irritation is easily set up, particularly in the negro race. Inflammation of the external lymphatics and lym- phatic glands is also common, and its sequel (when neglected) elephantiasis. Painter's colic, though rarer now, and less fatal and less invaliding since the disuse of drugged claret, is still frequently met with; disease of liver is not common, though met with. Pneumonia and pleuritis occur chiefly from reckless exposure, or in anasmics; and dysentery, though formerly acute and epidemic, is now chiefly met with as a sequel of intermit- * [That tubercular disease, especially of the lungs, is rare in British Guiana, seems to be proved by the records of the Colonial General Hospital. Of 224 fatal cases which occurred from July 1. to Dec. 31. 1846, and of which there was a post-mortem examination, 28 only are noticed in which tubercles in the lungs were detected ; and of 819 cases which occurred and were examined from Jan. 1. to Dec. 31. 1847, a still smaller proportional number of instances of the detection of tubercles so situated is recorded, viz., 24. The inmates of this hospital, as regards race and country, like the population of British Guiana, as described by the author, are very miscel- laneous, but, notwithstanding, are chiefly the natives of hot climates; and thus tending to show, what I believe is true, that high atmospheric tempe- rature, cceteris paribus, is not favourable to the production of tubercles. The inquiry is one of great importance: the large proportional mortality from tubercular phthisis in some of our regiments, especially in the West Indies, has led to the partial adoption of the contrary inference,—but I believe not on good ground; for when the cases are examined into, they generally bear out the conclusion that the tubercles had existed before arrival in the West Indies — latent, impassive before, there brought into action as irri- tants, with acceleration of softening.] — Ed. j [Owing to the prevalency of intermittent and remittent fever amongst the inhabitants not of African origin. The proportion of fever cases admitted into the General Colonial Hospital affords strong proof of this. (See p. 22.)] —Ed.