Substance of the investigations regarding cholera asphyxia : with cases and dissections / communicated by Prof. Delpech, and Dr. Coste of Montpelier, and Dr. Lowenhayn of Moscow, during their residence in this country. To which are added, observations on the disease in Edinburgh, and the neighbouring districts.

  • Lizars, John, 1787?-1860
Date:
1832
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Substance of the investigations regarding cholera asphyxia : with cases and dissections / communicated by Prof. Delpech, and Dr. Coste of Montpelier, and Dr. Lowenhayn of Moscow, during their residence in this country. To which are added, observations on the disease in Edinburgh, and the neighbouring districts. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Left ventricle contained no blood; left auricle a little of the blood, and with fibrinous deposit. Lungs, when cut into, perfectly healthy ; no congestion. On slitting open the aorta, dark blood was found; and, beyond the left subclavian, a large fibrinous deposit, extending along about nine inches of the vessel. The same dark blood found in all the abdominal arteries, in the common, external, and internal iliacs, and in the femoral and brachial arteries. Nerves.—The splanchnic nerves on both sides were traced to their junction in forming the great solar plexus ; the left semilunar ganglion of which had a reddish tint, which was found to pervade its structure, while that of the right side, together with the other ganglia, was pale, both externally and internally.* CASE III. M. P-, aged sixty, given to dissipation, was first seen about eleven o’clock a.m. of Friday, 9th March, 1832, affected with malignant cholera, of which she died about seven o’clock in the same evening. Sectio Cadaveris, fifteen hours after Death. When the body was undressed, it was very stout; the skin pre¬ sented, in many points, even the most elevated, a marled appearance of blue and white, evidently not the effect of gravitation, and it felt warmer than an hour before death.f Drain and Spinal Chord.—On incising the integuments and muscles, to examine the brain and spinal chord, the muscles were of ‘ a dark colour, and turgid, with vessels pouring out dark black blood. When the theca vertebralis came into view, the veins were found turgid with the same blood. No effusion in spine between the vertebral column and the theca vertebralis. On removing the skull-cap, the blood-vessels of the dura mater were turgid with the dark blood. The dura mater being inadvertently punctured at the * I am indebted to my esteemed and talented friend, Mr Steele, surgeon, at Craighall, for this and the preceding case. I conducted the dissections myself, and devoted some hours to each. f One patient was placed on her face, half an hour after death, and, as far as regards the congestion of blood-vessels, the same appearances, on the skin, brain, and spine, as in the others, were observable.