Medical notes on China / by John Wilson.

  • Wilson, John, 1788-1870
Date:
MDCCCXLVI [1846]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical notes on China / by John Wilson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    of the post-mortem appearances of cholera,— In all, bladder con- tracted and empty. The ship was at anchor, hut there is no observation in the re- port drawn up in haste on her distance from the shore, nature of the nearest land, or state of the weather, further than that the thermometer had fallen to 78°, and the following remark respect- ing tlie cause of the disease. The causes can only be conjec- tural. Certainly the three fatal cases of the 21st occurred on the temperature falling six degrees, after excessively hot close weather. The cause may remain, as it is, unknown, but it must be essentially something very different from simple reduction of atmospheric heat; yet, such reduction may act as an exciting cause, or may contribute to the evolution of the essential cause of cholera. It is stated that the ship had been moved further from the shore, and that other judicious measures had been adopted with the view of arresting the progress of the disease. Sept. 5th.—^Little change in the weather, though the heat has been higher last week than during the preceding. Thermometer has not fallen below 80°, highest point, 84° ; barometer, 29.90, which is higher than it has before been since entering the Chinese sea. Eain has fallen twice in small quantities; one night there was re- flected lightning. Winds continue southerly, but with more east- ing ; they are irregular in force, generally hght, sometimes failing altogether, on which occasions the sensible heat is oppressive. In the ]\Iinden, the intestinal affections, chiefly diarrhoeal, are not so prevalent as they have been; and there are no new cases of sloughing ulcer. All the former cases are making favourable and rapid progress, except one in which a portion of the right tibia is denuded ; the destructive process is arrested, but the restorative is not completely established, and the issue remains doubtful. The ship is now nearly cleared of the stores, the lower deck ports and orlop deck scuttles are open, which, with Reid's ventilating machinery, will air the lower parts of the ship well. These decks, as stated above, were completely filled watli stores which prevented them from being cleansed during the long voyage,