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PURULENT URETHRAL DISCHARGES IN CHILDREN.
448
justifiable in concluding that the vomiting depended upon other and more latent causes
for its continuance during the lengthened period of three years. I am inclined to suppose (particularly as there is no appearance of organic affection of the stomach) that the irritation of the spinal nerves was, in the first instance, the cause of vomiting, and afterwards, that irritation being partly subdued, but the stomach still being accustomed to be relieved of its uneasy sensations by regurgitation, constantly recurred to this method, requiring for its suppression moral and physicial efforts more powerful than this patient seemed capable of exerting. At the same time that this case illustrates the length of time which a person may live, with only occasionally retaining a small portion of food, it clearly proves that creosote, like all other remedies, will fail in checking vomiting and pain of stomach without inflammation.
from what I considered want of cleanliness and I had seen five cases of gonorrhœa in little girls, from the same cause; at least I
could trace the disease to no other, but I had never seen cases so decidedly marked, and of so infectious a nature, as the present. There is no reason to suppose that these children had been infected from any venereal source, but it is probable that gonorrhoea may be generated in the genitals of the human female without any intercourse of the sexes, and, as I believe, without the communication of any specific virus. The parents of these children are very industrious, and, for their station in life, very respectable people. I have attended both at different times for several years ; the mother acts as a laundry woman for a most respectable family in this town, where her husband has long lived as butler, always sleeping in the house; the mother has had no vaginal discharge or uterine affection. The eldest and youngest child have slept constantly with her for a long period. The other two children sleep by themselves. They have PURULENT URETHRAL DISCHARGES all been washed and dried with the same IN CHILDREN. towels. The grandmother has had leucorrhoea upon her for many years, which has To tlte Editor of THE LANCET. been suspended during the ophthalmia. She has had the use, I am told, of a towel excluwill think the folSIR,—You probably sively to herself. Having simply stated lowing cases of sufficient interest to obtain these facts, I leave others to draw from a place for them in your Journal. I am, them their own conclusions. Sir,
yours
respectfully,
WILLIAM MOSS.
Windsor, Dec. 5, 1835.
requested last month to see a little girl, three years of age, residing in Eton, whom I found suffering under every sympShe had swollen and tom of gonorrhoea. inflamed labia, a thick purulent discharge from the vagina, and acute pain in passing the urine. On making inquiry, I ascertained that the eldest sister, who was eleven years old, had, in the preceding June, been affected in the same manner; and that the second sister (eight years old) had also, a few weeks afterwards, been in precisely the same state; the mother had neglected to obtain advice for them, as she fancied that the symptoms arose only from weakness, and the discharge therefore had continued on them in a slight degree up to that time. Two days after this visit I was desired to look at the grandmother, a woman aged sixty-six years, living in the same house, who was afflicted with one of the most frightful attacks of purulent ophthalmia that I ever beheld. About three days afterwards, the brother (aged six years) of the girls was affected with swelling and inflammation of the prepuce and glans penis, accompanied I
was
CÆSAREAN OPERATION, PRACTISED WITH
SUCCESS,
MOTHER AND THE
BOTH FOR THE CHILD.
By Professor STOLTZ, of Strasbourg. JEANNETTE LIALF, twenty-six years of age, has been affected with rachitis since her infancy. At the age of ten she suffered from a severe
attack, accompanied by convulsions,
and followed by paralysis of the tongue. Since that period her growth has been completely arrested. She now measures only forty-four inches ; from the summit of the coccyx twenty-six inches, from the latter to the heels eighteen. Her head is very large, and disproportionate to the rest of the body; the spinal column is quite straight, and the chest well formed; the pelvis, though well formed, is very small ; the limbs are curved. This girl menstruated at the age of sevenOn the 12th of November, 1834, she teen. herself at the hospital uf Strasbourg, being eight months gone with child. An examination was immediately made, and by a profuse discharge and pain in passing the vagina found to be short and narrow. his urine, which symptoms continued to be The antero-posterior diameter of the inlet, very severe for some days. I had seen seve- measured with the finger and Wissemherg’3 ral cases of inflamed prepuce in children, pelvimeter, gave two inches, four lines; the
presented
justifiable in concluding that the vomiting depended upon other and more latent causes
for its continuance during the lengthened period of three years. I am inclined to suppose (particularly as there is no appearance of organic affection of the stomach) that the irritation of the spinal nerves was, in the first instance, the cause of vomiting, and afterwards, that irritation being partly subdued, but the stomach still being accustomed to be relieved of its uneasy sensations by regurgitation, constantly recurred to this method, requiring for its suppression moral and physicial efforts more powerful than this patient seemed capable of exerting. At the same time that this case illustrates the length of time which a person may live, with only occasionally retaining a small portion of food, it clearly proves that creosote, like all other remedies, will fail in checking vomiting and pain of stomach without inflammation.
from what I considered want of cleanliness and I had seen five cases of gonorrhœa in little girls, from the same cause; at least I
could trace the disease to no other, but I had never seen cases so decidedly marked, and of so infectious a nature, as the present. There is no reason to suppose that these children had been infected from any venereal source, but it is probable that gonorrhoea may be generated in the genitals of the human female without any intercourse of the sexes, and, as I believe, without the communication of any specific virus. The parents of these children are very industrious, and, for their station in life, very respectable people. I have attended both at different times for several years ; the mother acts as a laundry woman for a most respectable family in this town, where her husband has long lived as butler, always sleeping in the house; the mother has had no vaginal discharge or uterine affection. The eldest and youngest child have slept constantly with her for a long period. The other two children sleep by themselves. They have PURULENT URETHRAL DISCHARGES all been washed and dried with the same IN CHILDREN. towels. The grandmother has had leucorrhoea upon her for many years, which has To tlte Editor of THE LANCET. been suspended during the ophthalmia. She has had the use, I am told, of a towel excluwill think the folSIR,—You probably sively to herself. Having simply stated lowing cases of sufficient interest to obtain these facts, I leave others to draw from a place for them in your Journal. I am, them their own conclusions. Sir,
yours
respectfully,
WILLIAM MOSS.
Windsor, Dec. 5, 1835.
requested last month to see a little girl, three years of age, residing in Eton, whom I found suffering under every sympShe had swollen and tom of gonorrhoea. inflamed labia, a thick purulent discharge from the vagina, and acute pain in passing the urine. On making inquiry, I ascertained that the eldest sister, who was eleven years old, had, in the preceding June, been affected in the same manner; and that the second sister (eight years old) had also, a few weeks afterwards, been in precisely the same state; the mother had neglected to obtain advice for them, as she fancied that the symptoms arose only from weakness, and the discharge therefore had continued on them in a slight degree up to that time. Two days after this visit I was desired to look at the grandmother, a woman aged sixty-six years, living in the same house, who was afflicted with one of the most frightful attacks of purulent ophthalmia that I ever beheld. About three days afterwards, the brother (aged six years) of the girls was affected with swelling and inflammation of the prepuce and glans penis, accompanied I
was
CÆSAREAN OPERATION, PRACTISED WITH
SUCCESS,
MOTHER AND THE
BOTH FOR THE CHILD.
By Professor STOLTZ, of Strasbourg. JEANNETTE LIALF, twenty-six years of age, has been affected with rachitis since her infancy. At the age of ten she suffered from a severe
attack, accompanied by convulsions,
and followed by paralysis of the tongue. Since that period her growth has been completely arrested. She now measures only forty-four inches ; from the summit of the coccyx twenty-six inches, from the latter to the heels eighteen. Her head is very large, and disproportionate to the rest of the body; the spinal column is quite straight, and the chest well formed; the pelvis, though well formed, is very small ; the limbs are curved. This girl menstruated at the age of sevenOn the 12th of November, 1834, she teen. herself at the hospital uf Strasbourg, being eight months gone with child. An examination was immediately made, and by a profuse discharge and pain in passing the vagina found to be short and narrow. his urine, which symptoms continued to be The antero-posterior diameter of the inlet, very severe for some days. I had seen seve- measured with the finger and Wissemherg’3 ral cases of inflamed prepuce in children, pelvimeter, gave two inches, four lines; the
presented