Cases of morbid anatomy : read before the Literary and Philosophical Society of New-York, on the eighth of June, 1815 / by John W. Francis.

  • Francis, John W. (John Wakefield), 1789-1861.
Date:
1815
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cases of morbid anatomy : read before the Literary and Philosophical Society of New-York, on the eighth of June, 1815 / by John W. Francis. 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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    of swallowing, and that the efforts which he made to get even small quantities of food into the stomach gave him severe pain. He referred to the gastric region as the seat of part of the distress which he suffered, and more particularly to a circumscribed spot above the pit of the stomach, under the breast bone. Under those circumstances medical aid was deemed necessary, and he requested the attendance of Doctor David Hosack. The patient is wholly at a loss to assign any cause for the existence of the alarming complaint under which he labours. He arrived in this country in the year 1796, and, with the exception of occasional slight attacks of cold affecting his chest, his constitution, previous to the year 1798, had never been impaired by disease, and he had uniformly enjoyed excellent health. He was accustomed to the promiscuous use of animal and vegetable diet, and his digesiive powers were vigorous. In the summer of 1798, during the prevalence of the malignant yellow fever, in this city, he contracted this febrile disease, from which he with great difficulty recovered. In his case, the yellow fever exhibited its most striking characteristic symptoms; and the affection of his stomach was so severe, that he laboured under the black vomit and hiccup for many days : the black vomit, which was similar in its appearance to coffee grounds, was arrested by the free use of lime water and milk, and lime water and porter ; then a novel mode of treating this distressing symptom, and fust introduced by Dr. Hosack. Since that time the patient has not enjoyed his wonted share of health ; though he resumed, and, with scarcely any intermission, continued engaged in his profes- sional business, that of a blacksmith, his constitution he represented to be more nervous than formerly. On account of inattenlion to dress, and exposure to cold, he has also, since that period, suffered repeatedly and severely, from inflammatory affections of his chest; and in 1809 he had an attack of haemoptysis, from which he lost a considerable quantity