Enteric fever : its prevalence and modifications, ætiology, pathology and treatment as illustrated by Army data at home and abroad / by Francis H. Welch.

  • Welch, Francis H.
Date:
1883
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Enteric fever : its prevalence and modifications, ætiology, pathology and treatment as illustrated by Army data at home and abroad / by Francis H. Welch. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    28/226 (page 12)
    But however little support they give to the associa- tion of this disease in the army directly with such agencies as climate, soil, regional peculiarities, yet it is apparent, taking the broad facts, that there have been conditions in operation in many of the tropical climates which have indirectly assisted it. Do any modifications in the symptoms occur abroad as distinguished from the disease at home ? On this point the main difficulty resides in eliciting how far and how frequently divergencies from the typical disease are met with in Europe, and whether the recognised modifications in the army disease abroad are similar but extra developments only of these, or original departures from the type form. That divergencies do occur, and especially in tropical climates, in army life is beyond doubt and there are a few which require consideration. i. The onset of the disease.—The main deviation concerns the access of the fever which approximates amie in character. Some of these instances are O clearly nothing more than an excess of the cold sensa- tion which accompanies the onset of other specific feb- rile diseases, and liable to be similarly regarded in these as in enteric fever ; but naturally this tendency so to refer the fever access finds its maximum in countries where the paludal element is a common feature. On the other hand, it is undoubted that the old periodic poison is often roused into activity by the new de- veloping disease, and does then impress itself upon the fever giving it an “ agueish type.” It does not how- ever follow that the prior existence of ague so modi- fies all cases of enteric fever ; it may not be observed in individuals where from their antecedents it might be