Cases and observations illustrating the history and pathological relations of two kinds of hydatids, hitherto undescribed / by Dr Gairdner and Mr Lee ; with microscopical observations by Mr H. Goodsir.

Goodsir Henry D. S.

Date:: [1844?]

Credit: Cases and observations illustrating the history and pathological relations of two kinds of hydatids, hitherto undescribed / by Dr Gairdner and Mr Lee ; with microscopical observations by Mr H. Goodsir. 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.

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$never had any headach or bad taste of mouth. On the 25th of March, slie still complained of heat and ball in the throat, abdo- minal distension had increased ; her feet were a little swelled, and pitted when pressed ; she felt very weak, but thought she would be well enough if she could live without eating. On the 20th of April she had retched much the night before, and had vomited a little fluid resembling thin mucilage with a little snuff dissemi- nated through it; her tongue was slightly furred, and she com- plamed of pain to the right of the epigastrium; her skin was warmer, and her pulse firmer than usual; she had taken a little wme a few minutes before I called. On the 21st she vomited some more of the brown fluid, and complained much of pain ; her pulse was 76, of fair strength, and her tongue was white. After this she was kept pretty easy by large doses of morphia, but sunk rapidly, and died much emaciated on the 11 th of May. For the last three weeks of her life, her bowels, which, for sometime had been getting less regular, were almost unmoved,-^enemata, which could be administered only in very small quantities, havino- had a slight eliect but once during that time; she had a good deal of thirst, but whatever she swallowed seemed to stick at the lower part of the oesophagus until it was rejected; for the last four or five days, however, she could swallow water freely. The coniunc tiva became inflamed a few days before her death. Her mind continued calm to the last. Dissection, May 13.—Present, Mr John Goodsir, Mr Harry Goodsir, Dr Gordon, and myself. When the cavity of the abdomen, which contained four or five gallons of a greenish yellow fluid, having an oily or ale-like consistence, was exposed, none of the abdominal viscera could be seen, except part of the colon, distended with flatus, and projecting over the spine between the kidneys. _ The intestines were found to be firmly bound down to the posterior part of the abdominal cavity, by a mass of eela- tmous-lookmg matter of a structure somewhat similar to th^t of cooked tapioca, interspersed with irregularly rounded cysts of various dnnensions one or two fully three inches in their longest diameter, but for the most part about the bulk of the largest sizes of small shot. _ The peritonaeum of the abdominal pari?tes was also studded with the same bodies, the larger ones being at- tached by a peduncle generally so slight, that when they were pulled away no trace of their attachment could be distinguished The larger and many of the smaller cysts were covered bv a strong membrane, of a dingy colour, having somewhat the an pearance of intestine, but sufliciently transparent to allow of \fl being seen that they were filled with other cysts of a smaller si e One of the largest of these cysts was found loose in the abdomen' and one or two of a smaller size, which were (^Iso ]oQse, were$