Medical Case Reports




36

last. P. L., male, died within 2 days after admission.

We next come to a fatal case of abscess, in L. V., a young woman, domestic servant in the country; admitted Sept. 14th, with an enormous abscess, extending over the right shoulder and neighbouring portion of the chest. She stated that it began three weeks before. She laboured under great difficulty of breathing and prostration of strength. She survived 16 days, and in addition to the external abscess, an immense collection of matter and serum was found in the right side of the chest. The disease originated from cold and hardship and was much aggravated by her voyage to Auckland in a small vessel.

J. M., male, was admitted February 12th, in a state bordering on idiocy, the effect of the disease styled, "Softening of the Brain;" he soon became comatose and died in 10 days after admission.

S. C., male, an inveterate drinker and subject to Epileptic fits, was admitted on the 30th November, with "Delirium tremens." He passed a favourable night; but next day was suddenly seized with convulsions and died in the fit. Great congestion of the cerebral vessels was found. No opium was given to this patient.

Under Pleurisy and Pneumonia we had 5 deaths:— 1st. J. G., male, admitted Feb. 27th, moribund, and died next day. The most extensive inflammation was found in both lungs.— 2nd. L. M., female, caught a violent cold in the bush while following the fortune of her seducer, who brought her to town and placed her under medical treatment. Some weeks having elapsed, she was sent to hospital on May 14th and found to be labouring under intense pleurisy and inflammation of the Pericardium. She survived only 10 days. Examination fully confirmed the diagnosis given of her disease.— 3rd. M. B., an aged woman, destitute, sent to hospital on Sunday, June 10th; moribund; died next day. Intense double pneumonia found.— 4th. E. McD., male, sent to hospital by the Police, on July 11th, in a state of the utmost prostration; died next day; intense pneumonia discovered. A few days before, this man while under the influence of intoxicating liquor had fallen into the harbour out of a boat, but had been speedily rescued and, as was supposed, perfectly restored.— 5th and last. W. J., male, admitted October 4th in a dying state, breathing very difficult, and pulse almost gone; died next day. On examination the right lung was found to be universally inflamed.

We next notice the case of R. H., male, sent in from one of the Pensioner Settlements on the 8th Feb., in the advanced stage of peritoneal inflammation. He was much injured by the jolting of the vehicle. His abdomen was swollen and exceedingly tender, he had constant vomiting, and was almost pulseless. He died next day, and on examination the most extensive inflammation was found in the abdominal viscera. The cause of the attack could not be satisfactorily ascertained.

Two fatal cases of Heart-disease are returned: 1st. P. S., male, admitted April 19th, with all the symptoms of hypertrophy, depending on valvular disease; died suddenly 8 days afterwards; diagnosis confirmed by examination.— 2nd. T. D., male, admitted April 23rd, and died suddenly Sept. 28th, following. In this case an aneurism was found at the origin of the aorta, which burst within the pericardium, and occasioned immediate death. During life the morbid sounds of this patient’s heart were very remarkable and were audible to the man himself.

Under Liver-disease are returned two fatal cases: 1st, D. H., male, admitted March 23rd, with "Jaundice," uneasiness in the region of the liver, and diarrhoea. No benefit resulted from treatment and death took place on the 9th April. On examination an enormous cancerous mass was found enveloping the first division of the small intestine, and preventing the flow of bile from the gall-bladder. Death was occasioned by gradual wasting and exhaustion. The affection was evidently of very old standing.— 2nd. The other case was that of G. S., who had been an inmate of the hospital in April, 1858; and attracted much attention from visitors, in consequence of extreme bodily attenuation co-existing with entire possession of his mental faculties, as well as severe suffering with the utmost resignation. However, his extreme emaciation was abundantly counterbalanced by the prodigious enlargement of his liver, which literally filled the entire abdomen, compressing the remaining viscera into the narrowest compass possible. He died on July 12th.

The fatal cases of Pulmonary consumption amounted to 9: 1st. J. B., a native woman, admitted Feb. 25th, in the last stage of exhaustion and died March 29th.— 2nd. A. P., male, admitted Jan. 2nd; died May 19th. He had occasional attacks of spitting of blood, and was hectic for months before his death.— 3rd. W. R., male, admitted June 14th, died within the next 3 days.— 4th. H. S., male, admitted August 20th, 1859, died June 28th, wasted to a skeleton.— 5th. J. M., a Portuguese Lascar, admitted August 10th, died August 14th.— 6th. J. T., an American creole, admitted August 18th, died Sept. 2nd.— 7th. J. R., male, admitted Oct. 13th, died Oct. 18th.— 8th. J. D., male, admitted Nov. 2nd, and died December 13. All of these cases, with one exception, were examined and the most extensive ravages of tubercular disease discovered.

Under Dysentery is the fatal case of a child, H. McH. admitted Oct. 6th, in a most emaciated state, and died Oct. 22nd.

Under Dropsy is the case of P. B., male, admitted Feb. 1st, and died April 27th. The cause of the disease in this case was a diseased liver, the consequence of intemperate habits.

The case of Stone in the Bladder, the subject of which had been in hospital for several years, enduring unexampled sufferings, has at length terminated fatally, the child dying on March 27th. On inspection a phosphatic calculus weighing 6 ounces was found in the bladder.



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Online Sources for this page:

VUW Te Waharoa PDF Auckland Provincial Gazette 1861, No 8





✨ LLM interpretation of page content

🏥 Annual Medical Report of the Provincial Hospital, Lunatic Asylum, and Prisons for 1860 (continued from previous page)

🏥 Health & Social Welfare
19 February 1861
Hospital, Asylum, Prisons, Medical Report, Mortality, Fever, Auckland
25 names identified
  • P. L., Patient died within 2 days after admission
  • L. V., Patient with abscess, died after 16 days
  • J. M., Patient with brain disease, died in 10 days
  • S. C., Patient with epilepsy, died in a fit
  • J. G., Patient with pleurisy and pneumonia, died next day
  • L. M., Patient with pleurisy and pericarditis, died in 10 days
  • M. B., Patient with double pneumonia, died next day
  • E. McD., Patient with pneumonia, died next day
  • W. J., Patient with pneumonia, died next day
  • R. H., Patient with peritoneal inflammation, died next day
  • P. S., Patient with heart disease, died suddenly
  • T. D., Patient with aortic aneurysm, died suddenly
  • D. H., Patient with liver cancer, died after treatment
  • G. S., Patient with liver disease, died after prolonged illness
  • J. B., Patient with pulmonary consumption, died after admission
  • A. P., Patient with pulmonary consumption, died after admission
  • W. R., Patient with pulmonary consumption, died within 3 days
  • H. S., Patient with pulmonary consumption, died after prolonged illness
  • J. M., Patient with pulmonary consumption, died within 4 days
  • J. T., Patient with pulmonary consumption, died after 15 days
  • J. R., Patient with pulmonary consumption, died within 5 days
  • J. D., Patient with pulmonary consumption, died after 41 days
  • H. McH., Patient with dysentery, died after 16 days
  • P. B., Patient with dropsy, died after 85 days
  • Stone, Patient with bladder stone, died after prolonged illness