252
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
and, in conclusión, I may remark that the con-
valescence to full or usual health has been
always rapid.
investing mucous membrane of the pharyngeal
apparatus, it is a fair inference that the stomach
was the primary and chief seat of the disease.

Post Mortem Autopsies.

No. 1.

• • Aged four years, died on the twelfth
    day of the disease, or rather from the date of
    the false membrane commencing to form on
    the tonsils and posterior pharynx. On laying
    open the neck, thorax and abdomen, the various
    viscera, viz., the larynx, trachea, and bronchii,
    the lungs, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, in-
    testines and all investing membranes and tissues
    seemed in perfectly sound, or normal condition.
    But the stomach, œsophagus, pharynx and
    tongue, on being removed from the body, and
    carefully laid open, displayed as follows:-
    Tongue considerably loaded with a dark brown
    fur-the pharynx in its entirety, even to the
    rim of the glottis, but no involvement farther
    of the air passages-exhibited a very deep
    blush of low unhealthy coloured inflammation,
    but unattended by the slightest abrasion of the
    mucous covering, and without even a speck
    remaining of the supposed leathery-like mem-
    brane, which prevailed in the first and pro-
    gressive stages of the disease. The upper
    portion of the æœsophagus, to the extent of a
    couple of inches, had an unusually rough and
    reddish aspect in various patches of its circum-
    ference, but the space therefrom downwards, to
    about three inches of of its gastric termination,
    there was no remarkable deviation from the
    usual healthy state. But these three inches
    indicated a great degree of morbid inflamma
    tion; and, moreover, had somewhat the aspect,
    here and there, of being stained, or died with
    inky-coloured fluid; yet the inner coat of this,
    though somewhat thickened, was neither pulpy
    to the touch, nor loosened from its tissues.
    The stomach, as it lay in situ, was considerably
    collapsed, but of natural appearance, though
    to the touch rather flaccid. Wher opened, not
    much over an ounce of a dark coloured fluid
    was found-probably an admixture of port,
    with the altered gastric secretion, as shortly
    before death she had taken a small quantity of
    that wine. The cardiac portion, and beyond
    that to within little more than an inch of the
    pyloris, the villous coat had lost its rugosity,
    was greatly softer to the touch than natural,
    and was dotted over with dark, adherent, olive-
    coloured spots, varying in size from a half inch
    diameter to that of a pin's head. One portion
    of the tissue was quite gone, say about the size
    of a sixpence, and that immediately below the
    cardiac opening. In most parts the attach-
    ment of this membrane to the muscular coat
    was so slight that it could be removed easily
    therefrom by light friction of the finger and
    thumb. Bus the whole of the coat, excepting
    the said small circumference around the pyloris,
    was thickened, and to the touch pulpy, while
    that pylorie portion appeared and felt to be
    quite in a normal, healthy condition. Hence,
    as there was not the slightest abrasion of the

No. 2.

• • Brother of No. 1, aged ten years;
    complained first on the night of the 10th of
    July (after exposure, for an hour or two, to a
    cold rainy night), of some pain of throat,
    which, on the succeeding morning, exhibited
    apparent ulceration of the tonsils, and was, by
    account, treated accordingly; but died, with
    the usual symptoms of diphtheria, on the
    eighth day.
    The body was opened twenty-four hours
    after death. The viscera of the thorax and
    abdomen seemed in normal state; but on
    removing the tongue, pharynx, esophagus, and
    stomach, and opening and examining these, the
    following morbid appearances were observed :
    -Tongue not much, but somewhat covered
    with fur-the entire pharynx more or
    less covered, particularly the posterior division,
    with cream-coloured lymphy matter of toughish
    consistence, and, in some parts, about a line or
    more in thickness. This had no firm adhesion
    to the subjacent soft parts; and though there
    was no actual abrasion of the natural mucous
    membrane, that of the tonsils, and the surface
    of these also, were so indented as on first
    inspection to look like small irregular clean
    ulcers. The air passages were in a natural
    healthy state, though the pharyngeal inflam-
    mation extended to and involved the rima
    glottidis. The esophagus exhibited a few
    patches of inflammation of the mucous mem-
    brane, particularly at and about its gastrie
    termination. In other respects it was in usual
    integrity. The stomach was somewhat dis-
    tended with flatus, and contained also a few
    ounces of a dark-coloured fluid. The villous
    membrane had lost its ruge, and was dotted
    here and there by inflamed arborescent spots,
    felt thicker than in healthy state, and soft and
    pulpy, and in the vicinity of the cardiac
    opening, a space about half the size of that in
    the sister's case was, as in that instance,
    altogether gone. The whole of the coat,
    excepting a portion around the pyloris, which
    seemed to be quite in the normal state of
    connection with the muscular tissue, all was so
    loosely attached thereto as readily to peel off,
    but in broken strips, thereby indicating that
    the membrane itself was disintegrated. The
    intestines and other viscera, as also their
    investing membranes, exhibited no departure
    from the healthy state.

No. 3.

• • Aged seven years. A case not at all
    of slow or insiduous approach, as in the two
    previous instances, but symptoms, by account,
    ran high from the first. On opening the
    thorax and abdomen, nine or ten hours after
    death, the lungs, and, except the larynx which
    was inflamed, the air passages, heart, and
    investing serous membranes were found in hale
    integrity; the liver, spleen, pancreas, and the
    entire length of the large intestines were also