Observations on diseases of the spinal marrow / by John Abercrombie.

Date:
1817
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on diseases of the spinal marrow / by John Abercrombie. 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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    man mentioned by Mr C. Bell, who had been liable to severe pain in his back, and fits of palpitation, died suddenly after a long walk. The only morbid appearance observed on dissection, was a large scrofulous abscess in the posterior mediastinum, with Caries of several of the vertebrae of such extent, that the spinal marrow was exposed in several places. I saw a similar abscess in the posterior mediastinum, with caries of five or six of the vertebrae, in a girl who died of phthisis. She had complained for some time of a severe pain of the back, but her complaints in other 1 expects did not differ from the usual symptoms of phthisis. A similar appearance in the lumbar vertebrae, with a psoas abscess, containing lb.ij. of matter, has been described by Mr Benjamin Bell. * The vertebra? were so diseased that large pieces of them were separated, and the matter was in se- veral places in contact with the spinal marrow. The patient a man of 40, had complained of severe pain in his back and thighs, which prevented him from raising his body into the erect posture, but there was no distortion of the spine, and no pa- ralysis. He had considerable difficulty of breathing, but this was accounted for by a diseased state of the lungs O # Conjectures. The various symptoms that have been observed in connection with affections of the spinal cord and its membranes, have open- ed a wide field o conjecture in regard to the influence of these paith in seveial diseases, which have hitherto been involved in much obscurity. These Conjectures are not to be altoc-ethcr overlooked, but they are only to be regarded as havin'* anyva- ue, in as far as they direct us to subjects worthy of being inves- Ugatcd by observation and morbid dissections? A short sped men of these conjectures shall conclude this essay. 1 ?laut°tC Diseases-—Several writers of eminence have con- ceived that many spasmodic and nervous diseases have their ori «'d!?1 MoHbia°Disc Hoffm*n, in his essay epilepsy^]^ 2T1 —• £ TUfcSsX, hissz c ar ,7* the spinal marrow ; the latter denon l °,f.the mc?branes o1' .........b,.:r Edinburgh Medical Commentaries, Vol. Ilf.