A practical sketch of the Asiatic cholera of 1848 : its rationale and (presumed) pathology / by S.F. Statham.

Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A practical sketch of the Asiatic cholera of 1848 : its rationale and (presumed) pathology / by S.F. Statham. 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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    hours in making the post-mortem, being by myself, I was obliged to write from memory in the evening, aided by such specimens as were carried home. The great increase of parish practice at the same time is a still better excuse. PATHOLOGY, &c. ■ ♦ Thebe now remains to be considered the pathology of the disease, whether it is referable to mysterious operations before unknown, introducing changes in the animal fluids of an extraordinary character, or whether it can be classified with diseases concerning which much progress has been made in ascertaining their true nature. Many of the symptoms of the disease are but accidental pheno- mena, and such as may and do occur in the progress of other maladies, and are merely necessary results of the implication or impairment of one or more organs or systems. Thus the sickness and cramps from intestinal irritation, transferred by reflex action from one to the other system of nerves, are nothing but the common occurrences of every-day life; so also the sunk visage and chilled body. But, if we inquire further, we find there is one symptom pathogno- monic of Asiatic cholera, which, by its constancy, is proved to be essential, and by the date of its occurrence appears to lead us the nearest to recognising the cause of the disease. This symptom is the escape of a floceulent or shreddy matter into, and generally from the intestinal canal, and always accompanied by a greater or less quantity of colourless alkaline fluid. A similar discharge never occurs in adults in any other disease, and probably this applies also to children. As the cause of such a flux, inflammatory action affords at once a plausible explanation, and one which requires no far-fetched similes or forced hypotheses. We are already acquainted with inflammatory actions in the body, of an analogous rapidity of course, and depressing effect on the system, such as erysipelas, cellulitis, or diffuse cellular infiltration, pyoemia, phlebitis, inflammation of the lymphatics, and some other, of which the most remarkable is purulent peritonitis; this class of diseases, of which the difficulty of recognition during life can only be equalled by that of treating them effectually, are liable in many instances to be overlooked even after death ; indeed the only sign of then having existed is (as a general rule) a small quantity of purulent