On certain anatomical relations between abscess of brain and aural disease / by James A. Adams.
- Adams, James A.
- Date:
- [cbetween 1800 and 1899?]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: On certain anatomical relations between abscess of brain and aural disease / by James A. Adams. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.
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![This table shows that there must be conservative conditions protecting the brain in early life. Less than 5 per cent of the cases occurred in childhood, and above 72 per cent occurred in adult life. This non-liability to abscess of brain, from what- ever cause, is still more evident in the following table, consist- ing of cases wherein the suppurative deposits either originated exclusively from, or were directly associated with, disease of the ear. This table is constructed of the 44 cases comprised in the preceding table, together with 30 cases collected from various sources by Dr. Roosa, and of G cases recorded by Toynbee, and are irrespective of those included in Dr. Gull's synoptic list, part of which is taken from Dr. Toynbee's classical treatise. Causrs of AnscEss ok Brain. TOT.AIi. Ages. i Under { 10. 11 to 20. Above 20. Not stated. Caries or Necrosis of Temjjoral Bone, 46 \ (i 13 26 1 Suppuration of Ear. Caries, if ob- served, not stated. 34 1 3 7 23 1 80 ' 9 1 20 49 2 Here it is seen that only 9 cases, or ] 1 per cent, occurred in childhood, and above G3 per cent in adult life. And if to this table there is added cases of injuries of head, the conclusion remains substantially unchanged to the effect that whatever the originating cause may be, and even where the originating causes are restricted exclusively to diseases of the ear and injuries of the head, it remains abundantly evident that abscess of brain in childhood is rare when compared with its frequency at other periods of life. I may note here that in those cases in the preceding tables, wherein the ages are not stated, I would feel warranted from the context of their I'ecords in assuming that they were adults; but whether so included, or entirely set aside, the estimate I have drawn is not substantially impugned. Whatever the aee, there is abundant evidence that diseases of the ear originate a large proportion of cases of abscess of the brain. The proportion has been estimated at a high figure by that very careful and competent observer. Von Troltsch,* who says, perhaps half of all cases of abscess of * Surgical Diseases of Ear, p. 66, Trans, of Syd. Soc., 1874.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21457566_0008.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
