Foreign bodies in the air-passages : the substance of two clinical lectures delivered in the Western Infirmary, Glasgow / by Hector C. Cameron.

Cameron, Hector Clare, 1843-1928.

Date:: [between 1890 and 1899]

Credit: Foreign bodies in the air-passages : the substance of two clinical lectures delivered in the Western Infirmary, Glasgow / by Hector C. Cameron. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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$f IKTKKNATIONAI. CLIXICS, tive processes in tlie chest, and wliicli led to an ejirly disastrous result, has been put on record by Dr. Najn’er, of Crossbill, in the Glancjow Medical Journal (January, 1885, ]). 11). ‘‘The patient was a healthy boy, four years of age, and was iirst seen by me on the evening of Sunday, October 12, 1884,” writes Dr. Xapier. “ His mother stated that he had been noticed to be ill only from the 'WT'dne.sday previous, —that is, about four days before; he had been dull, feverish, listle.s.s, suffered from entire loss of appetite, headache, and had a very furred tongue. This ^vas thought to be a stomach attack, and was treated domestically, but ineffectually, by gray powder. From the Wednesday evening he had had a short, peculiar cough, accompanied by what is described as a suppressed sneeze; this symptom, of much importance when considered in connection with the cause of the disorder, had quite disappeared on Sunday, and was never afterwards noticed. It was mentioned to me on Sunday, but little importance was ascribed to it, as there was no history of a foreign body having jjassed into the air-passages: and from the symptoms presented no such event sug- gested itself to my mind. On the evening of Sunday, October 12, the little patient Avas found to be in a high fever, temperature 103° F.; ' pulse very fast, at least 140 ; respirations 70, accompanied by a pain- ' fid catch at the end of inspiration, and an obvious working of the alae ! nasi. There was a frequent short cough, but no expectoration. Tongue ^ moist and coated with Avhite fur. Severe pain was complained of, and j I’eferred to the pit of the stomach. This persisted throughout the whole course of the case, and was the symptom most often mentioned by the I patient himself. At no time was the pain referred to the lung or near ^ the part at which the foreign body Avas aftei’AA'ards found. On physi- f cal examination there Avas discovered comparatiA^e (not absolute) did- f ness to percussion on the right side, postei’iorly, from the base of the ^ lung up as high as the middle of the scapula ; there Avere no rides, Imt f a comparatively feeble respiratory murmur. The interior of the throat » Avas slightly congested and SAvollen. At this, my first A'isit, the idea j. formed of the case Avas that AA^e had to deal Avith an impending pneu- monic attack, and such Avas the announcement made to the parents.” * The little ])atient continued to progress, Avithout exciting any very i serious alarm, until October 20, AA'lien Dr. Napier notes that “ tlie ^ cough became frequent and teasing, and on this day distinctly purulent ^ matter began to come up Avith tlie c.xpectoration. Tlie jius aa'us thin ^ and fluid, soon became very abundant, often ajipcartxl A\'ith little or no mucus, and from the lir.st had a fetid odor, AA liich, lioAA'eA’cr, Ixx’ame more marked in the course of a fcAV days. . . . The odor A\’as that of 4$