The diseases of children : a short introduction to their study / by James Frederic Goodhart.

  • Goodhart, James Frederic, 1845-1916.
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The diseases of children : a short introduction to their study / by James Frederic Goodhart. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    81/752 (page 57)
    —but in the earlier stages it may rise to 105 to ioS°, and, should reaction become established, more or less pyrexia returns. The mortality in these cases is a very high one. Many die oft' in a state of collapse. Improvement is known by the cessation of tlie vomit- ing and diarrhcea, if at the same time there a,re evidences of lessening exhaustion. The mere cessation of vomiting and the return of more healthy evacua- tions must not, however, be interpreted too favourably if the exhaustion has reached any extreme degree ; and, supposing reaction to become established, there is still a felirile stage to pass through, in which the stomach and intestines remain irritable, the tongue is dry, red, and aphthous, and for days the child hovers titfully, and tlien at last, perhaps, becomes again drowsy, and sinks. The evacuations of cholei'a in- fantum have been subjected to microscopical examina- tion, but only to find them containing epitlielium and vibriones such as may be found in most cases of diar- rhcea. It is difficult to say wliat chances of recovery remain for the worst cases, because so often summei’ diarrhcea runs to, yet does not (piite toucli, the typical condition, and yet sjxeedily recovers. For a few hours the.se infants seem to l)e in great danger; in another few they are almost themselves again. And it is for this reason that I do not insist more strongly upon distinct varieties of tlie disease. Acnte diarrhoea may l)e of all grades of seveiity—from simjxle <liarrhoea at the one end, up to the worst case of cholera at the other. Any more minute de.scription would but tend to confuse and throw the student olf his guaid, perhaps upon the first occ.asion on which he fell upon his own resources; but this much, may be insisted upon, that, in order that he maj' have some rdiable notion of the severity of the ca.se, it is essential that the doctor should see for himself what is ])assed by the bowels. The late Mr. Hilton was in the habit of saying to his dressers, “ Xever lose an o])portunity of examiiu'ng a