ACUTE GASTRIC CATARRH. 497 



being sufficiently mixed with gastric juice, and keeping it too long in 

 the organ. 



6. Catching cold also leads to gastric catarrh, though less fre- 

 quently than to catarrh of tne respiratory organs. 



7. Lastly, at certain times, without known cause, from a " genius 

 epidemicus gastricus," gastric catarrh occurs surprisingly often ; and 

 at such times other affections are complicated with it, without there 

 having been any error of diet. In this class belong the feverish, gas- 

 tric, and intestinal catarrhs and cholera morbus, which are occasionally 

 epidemic. 



When speaking of infectious diseases, we shall treat of those cases 

 oi gastric catarrh which, like other catarrhs, are symptomatic of an in- 

 fection. 



ANATOMICAL APPEARANCES. We seldom have the opportunity 

 ot seeing the remains of acute gastric catarrh on post-mortem examina- 

 tion ; where we do, the gastric mucous membrane is found reddened in 

 spots by a fine injection, its tissue is relaxed, and its surface covered 

 with a layer of tough mucus. But more frequently, especially among 

 children who die with the symptoms of cholera infantum, the autopsy 

 gives negative results, except as to appearances that will be described 

 heieafter. This does not appear strange, when we remember that the 

 capillary hypersemias of other mucous membranes, which we have 

 been able to observe directly during life, leave no trace after death ; 

 and that a relaxation and partial loss of epithelium, which we have re- 

 garded os the most probable cause of the extensive transudation in 

 cholera ii'fantum, may be very readily overlooked in the dead body, 

 and can very rarely be observed with certainty. Hence, the observa- 

 tions that Beaumont made on his Canadian St. Martin, when he had 

 catarrh of the stomach after overloading that organ with indigestible 

 substances, or after the excessive use of liquor, are very important. 

 At the commencement of the affection the gastric mucous membrane 

 appeared intensely reddened, had aphthous (?) spots on it, and was 

 covered with tough mucus, here and there mixed with traces of blood. 

 Later, the mucous covering was thicker, and the secretion of gastric 

 juice was suppressed. The fluid taken out through the fistula con- 

 sisted mostly of mucus and muco-pus, which showed an alkaline reac- 

 tion. In a few days the mucous secretion and the alkaline reaction 

 of the contents of the stomach ceased ; and, at the same time, the 

 mucous membrane regained its normal appearance. 



The gastromalacia, or softening of the walls of the stomach, found 



on autopsy of children, was often diagnosticated during life, so that it 



appeared as if the diagnosis were confirmed by the post mortem. An 



exhaustive description of the symptoms of gastromalacia has also been 



33 



