Papers relative to the disease called cholera spasmodica in India, now prevailing in the North of Europe.

Date:
1831
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Papers relative to the disease called cholera spasmodica in India, now prevailing in the North of Europe. 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.

    29/46 page 21
    looking* matter; the evacuations frequently were without odour, but sometimes their odour was strong, and very particular. In order to the better understanding of what follows, I shall borrow the language of Drs. Armstrong and Ayre, and consider the disease as consisting of three periods :—the first, oppression ; the second, reaction ; and the third, collapse. The above description of the symptoms and modes of attack of the disease comprehends the first period, where neither nature nor art have been able to overcome the sedative effects induced on the vital powers by the action of the efficient cause ; where, however, the ope- ration of that cause has been less in a degree, or where the vital powers, aided by art, have been able to maintain a struggle against its fatal tendency, the vio- lence of the symptoms gradually gives way, the purging and vomiting become less frequent, the pulse begins to be more distinctly perceived, the external heat gra- dually returns, the spasms of the extremities become less troublesome or cease entirely, the patient gets a little sleep, and is then perhaps able to take some light nourishment; this favourable change in the state of the patient comprehends the second period, that of re- action. A febrile state, more or less distinctly marked, now takes place, and lucky is the case where it is moderate, for such generally recover. The secretions which were suppressed in the first period now begin to reappear ; a gentle perspiration sometimes takes place; urine is discharged frequently, more or less tinged with bile, and the stools chiefly consist of bile in a very vitiated state; now and then blood in consi- derable quantity, of a dark colour, or a bloody fluid, is
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3