Medical notes on the climate of Burmah and on the diseases which have there prevailed among European troops / by Charles Murchison.

  • Murchison, Charles, 1830-1879.
Date:
1855
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical notes on the climate of Burmah and on the diseases which have there prevailed among European troops / by Charles Murchison. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ment, became tertian, before a complete cure was effected ; and again, two or three cases of decided quotidian intermit- tents at first were observed to pass into the remittent form. The above proportion of tertian to quotidian cases is very different from what we find laid down in books on the sub¬ ject. Thus, Dr Watson, in his lectures,^ observes, “ the ter¬ tian is by much the most common.’’ Dr Copland says, “ The most common of these is the tertian, which is considered the primary type of fever.”^ In the article, “ Intermittent Fever,’’ in Tweedie’s Library of Medicine, the author states, “ The quotidian but rarely occurs, and that a too hasty observa¬ tion has confounded it with the double tertian form.”^ Again, we find the following sentence in notes which we took from a clinical lecture by Dr Christison, March 19, 1850:—“ Tertian is the most frequent, and hence may be regarded as the type.” Among the intermittents which are met with in this country, the tertian is no doubt the most common form, but we believe this is seldom the case in the intermittents of India. As corroborating the results ob¬ tained by myself, I may mention those which have been lately published by Mr Waring of the Madras Medical Ser¬ vice.'^ Out of 240 cases noted by this gentleman, 174 or 72-5 3 or 1*25 47 or 19*58 6 or 2*5 10 or 4-16 per cent, were quotidian, ,, double quotidian, ,, tertian, ,, quartan, ,, irre^'ular. It would be quite unnecessary to give any detailed history of these cases of intermittent fever, which only differed from ordinary cases of intermittent in the unusual tendency which many of the cases exhibited to a state of great prostration. Many of the cases, indeed, exactly coincided with the cha¬ racters of Dr Copland’s third species of intermittent fever, which he designates, “ ague, with oppressed power.”^ Thus, in the cold stage there were often no rigors, but only a feel¬ ing of chilliness, with or without slight horripilations. This feeling was accompanied or followed by great nausea, tender¬ ness at the epigastrium, sometimes vomiting, a quick, small pulse, headache, pains in the back, moderate thirst, and dry, sallow skin. During the intermissions, too, there was great debility, a loaded tongue, sallow skin, morbid excretions, ' Vol. i., p. 723. 2 Diet, of Pract. Medicine, voL i., p. 935. ^ Vol. i., p. 219. ^ Indian Annals of Medical Science, October 1853. ^ Dictionary of Practical Medicine, vol. i., p. 936. C 2