On dengue : its history, pathology, and treatment / by S. Henry Dickson, M.D.

  • Dickson, Samuel Henry, 1798-1872.
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On dengue : its history, pathology, and treatment / by S. Henry Dickson, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    No definite signification is attached to the title by which it came to be universally known. The negroes at St. Thomas called it the dandy fever, from the stiff, affected gait of those labouring under it. In Cuba it was termed Dengue or Dunga ; whether this is merely a modification of the English slang-word dandy, thus altered in Spanish pronunciation, is not clear. One writer affirms that the word occurs in the vulgar cant of the lower classes in Havanna,and is used to denote the staggering uncertain walk of an intoxicated man. We shall see, as we proceed in the description of the disease, the application of these phrases. Symptoms.—Dengue usually made its attack with pain, stiffness, and swelling of some of the smaller joints, often of the muscles of a limb, rigidity of the neck, aching of the back and loins. These pains were followed, after an uncertain though generally brief period, by headache—suffusion of the eyes—abrupt, full, frequent pulse—hot, pungent, dry skin—restlessness, thirst, and other tokens of febrile excitement. The fever did not remit, but declined and disappeared in a great majority of cases on the second or third day. In this early stage the tongue was generally clean, and the stomach quiet, but sometimes there was nausea or even vomiting. The determina- tion to the head was occasionally violent. Instances occurred in which delirium was among the first symptoms, coming on at the commencement, and enduring until the subsidence of the febrile paroxysm. At this time the skin lost its heat and dryness, be- coming relaxed, with abundant perspiration ; and the local pains were all lessened in degree. A sort of miliary eruption or rash in some persons attended this sweating stage, and in a few others preceded both the local pains and the fever. It was, however, as connected with this first stage of dengue, a very inconstant affection, seeming rather a merely accidental coincident than a symptom. The pains of the joints and muscles which, as has been said, were diminished in severity at the subsidence of the febrile exacerbation, did not go off* entirely : a degree of swelling, stiffness, and tenderness of the affected parts remaining permanently, though varying much in intensity indifferent individuals. This condition of things con- stituted a sort of deceptive interval between what may be de- scribed as the first and second stages of this strange disease. Many now believed themselves to have past through the attack, and attempted to resume their ordinary occupations ; but soon had occa- sion to discover that their sufferings were by no means at an end.