Clinical lectures on pulmonary tuberculosis.

  • Thompson, Theophilus, 1807-1860.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Clinical lectures on pulmonary tuberculosis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    II. Clicking consists of a series of sounds, few in number, exactly corresponding to the term, audible in some degree during expiration as well as inspiration, and probably never existing except when softened tubercle is present. III. Crackling, a term which itself defines the sound, consists of a few (not more than three or four) crackles, limited to the period of inspiration, seeming to arise at a distance from the ear, probably produced externally to the cells, and characteristic of the first stage of phthisis, although not invariably present under such circumstances. IV. Crepitation consists of more numerous and finer sounds than crackling. It is also confined to the period of inspiration, and is probably due to viscid secretion in the cell-walls, occasioning difficulty in their expan- sion. It is peculiar to pneumonia. V. Vibrations. Of sonorous, grave, or cooing, and sibilant, shrill, or whistling rhonchus; (sounds result- ing mainly from vibration, and indicating flattening or narrowing of tubes, such as is common in chronic bron- chitis,) it may be sufficient to remark that, when oc- curring interruptedly, these rhonchi may be occasioned by vibrations of air, probably produced by the inter- vention of pellets of mucus, as is sometimes observed in pertussis; but that, in proportion to the persistency of these sounds, there is reason to suspect turgescence or thickening of the membrane, or effusion in the sub- mucous tissue. A few incidental remarks may here be expedient, in order to explain a little more particularly the modifi- cations above suggested.