A NOTE ON THE INFANTILE MORTALITY FROM TUBERCULOUS MENINGITIS AND TABES MESENTERICA

H. Armstrong
1902 BMJ (Clinical Research Edition)  
In the evening he was no better. He was suffering greatly from flatulency, but had passed no flatus, nor had the bowels moved. His temperature was 2000 and his pulse good, but he had great pain over the epigastric and umbUical regions. He was given a mixture of sulphate of magnesia and small doses of belladonna. On the morning of the x6th his condition was worse. He had had a restless night and was sick frequently, bringing up at one vomit about half a pint of dark blood. His temperature was
more » ... 0, his pulse Ioo and hard, the tongue dry. There was great thirst. I gave an enema, which brought notliing away, and was followed by a good deal of collapse and sweating. In the evening his bowels were greatly distended, but the pain was much better. His temperature was IO00, his pulse being fast and intermittent. He had a very restless night, with a good deal of deliriuin. In the morning of December 17th his symptoms were much the same as on the previous day-sickness, thirst, restlessness, and slight wandering. His bowels were greatly distended, and no liver dullness could be made out. His temperature was 010, and hispulse fast and intermittent. No flatus passed, nor was there any action of the bowels. He was now taking I gr. of opium every five hours. He had a bad night. On the morning of December x8th his temperature was 3ool, his pulse weak and running, his tongue dry, and constantsickness; there was delirium and great abdominal distension. In the evening I thought he was sinking. The vomiting of blood on the second day of his illness, the absence now of all pain, and marked tympanites over the entire abdominal region, made one fear gangrene ot the bowel. His age and condition rendered any abdominal operation out of the question. Treatment.-On mentioning the action of quicksilver to his friends, they were most anxious for its trial as a last resort. I must say I gave it with little hope and a good deal of misgiving. He had half a pound on the evening of the i8th and opium pills every fourhours. Progress.-Had a very restless and delirious night up to 6 a.m., when his bowels were moved, and he passed a great quantity of flatus. On the morning of the 19th he was distinctly better, his mind clearer, his pulse better, the abdominal distension less, and he was able to keep down nourishment, which he had now at frequent intetvals. He passed a fair day, and had another action of the bowels in the evening. He gradually improved from day to day, and was able to take and digest frequent nourishment. His temperature still remained about 990, and his pulse was still fast. A digitalis and strychnine mixture was now given with considerable benefit, and a dose of castor-oil now and then, whiclh always moved lois bowels well. He got up for a short time on December 2gth. A small quantity of mercury appeared in the motions on the 29th, and on Decermber 3oth a large, if not the entire, quantity came away. His temperature fell to normal, his appetite improved, and on January 20th 1902, his condition was most satisfactory. He was enjoying this food and a cigar, was able to get out and take exercise, and, beyond some little difficulty In keeping his bowels regular, was quite well. In neither of the two cases I have described was there the slightest symptom of mercurialism, nor did the drug produce any increased abdominal pain. In the second case, the very acute onset of serious symptoms, the presence of blood in the vomit, and the rapid development of general abdominal tympanites, clearly pointed to some very acute intestinal obstruction.
doi:10.1136/bmj.1.2156.1024 fatcat:ciasdeobi5ehziherwabyfcqqq