Statistical report on the Edinburgh epidemic fever of 1843-44 / by A. Halliday Douglas, M.D.

  • Douglas, A. Halliday (Andrew Halliday), 1819-1908.
Date:
[©1844?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Statistical report on the Edinburgh epidemic fever of 1843-44 / by A. Halliday Douglas, M.D. 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.

    4/50 (page 4)
    to be as follows. Of 207 cases, 121 were admitted during the primary attacks, 56 during the remission, 30 in the relapse.—In some of these last cases admission was so late as the crisis of the relapse. II. THE FEATURES OF THE DISEASE. 1st, The General Features.—Under this section we shall consider—1st, The Mode of Access of the Disease ; 2d, The First Crisis; 3d, The Remission; Ath, The Relapse; 5th, The Second Crisis; 6th, Repeated Relapse. 1st, The Access of the Disease.—This appeared to have been in almost every case sudden, generally with a rigor, followed quickly by those symptoms which usher in the attack of febrile diseases. My opportunities of observing this early stage of the attack were very limited, but, in the cases which 1 did see, vomiting occurred within a few hours of the attack in most in- stances ; and sweating also was frequent. The suddenness of the invasion did not prevent many persons going about for seve- ral days,—this was particularly remarkable in one of my patients, who continued moving about with a pulse of 120 in the minute. In a very large proportion, however, of the cases, the febrile symptoms attained their greatest intensity within the first three days. With reference to the suddenness of the attack, there were 5 of the cases which appeared to justify the opinion that, however frequent the sudden access of the symptoms may be, it is not invariable, and that a premonitory stage of some duration occasionally exists. These cases were not under observation at */ # the period alluded to ; therefore what is now stated must be re- ceived on the authority of the patients themselves.. These 5 cases were 3 males and 2 females. For a period, varying from 3 to 10 days, they suffered from general debility and uneasiness, pain of the back or general pains, and anorexia. This stage was succeeded by a rigor, and the symptoms which usually usher in the attack. Dating from the rigor, the first crisis occurred on the fourth, sixth, and ninth days in three, and on the seventh in two. The relapse occurred on the twelfth, fifteenth, and twenty-second days in three, and on the thirteenth day in two. One of the females miscarried in the primary attack; the other had a second relapse. It is probable that, in many other cases this premonitory stage may have existed with- out being noted in the reports. 2d, The First Crisis.—This crisis is considered under the following divisions 1st, Its Date; 2d, Its Phenomena ; 3d, Its Date in relation to Sex; 4th, Its Date in relation to Age. The Date of the First Crisis.—Of the cases (121) admitted in the primary attack, the date of the first crisis is reported in 83. It must not be supposed that the remaining 38 cases did not pre- sent the usual well-marked crisis, though a small number, not