W H I 



W H I 



long, appearing above the lower when clofcd : the firft dor- 

 fal fin has fifteen rays, the fecond eighteen, and the lall 

 twenty. The colour of the head and back is a pale brown ; 

 the lateral line white and crooked ; the belly and fides fil- 

 very ; the laft ftreaked lengthways with yellow. 



Whitings appear in large (hoals in our feas in the fpring, 

 keeping at the diftance of about half a mile to that of three 

 miles from the fhore. They are the moft delicate and whole- 

 fome of any of the genus ; and feldom grow to more than 

 ten or twelve inches in length. Pennant. 



No whitino- is to be taken in the Thames or Medway of 

 lefs fize than fix inches from the eye to the end of the tail, 

 or at any time except from Michaelmas-day to Ember week. 

 (30 Geo. II. cap. 21.) Nor under fix inches any where 

 elfe. I Geo. I. ilat. 2. cap. 18. 



WiUTiyG-Politui. See Gadus PoUachius, and Pol- 

 lack. 



Whittsg- Pout. See Pouting, and Gadus Barhatus. 



Whiting, in Geography, a townfhip of Vermont, in the 

 county of Addifon, with 565 inhabitants ; 25 miles N. of 

 Rutland. 



Whiting Bay, a fmall bay of the county of Waterford, 

 Ireland, a little E. of Youghal bay. 



WHITLEY, a townfhip of Pennfylvania, in Greene 

 county, with 1264 inhabitants. 



WHITLOW, in Surgery, called alfo by furgeons 

 paronychia, panaritium, onychia, &c. is an inflammation af- 

 fefting one or more of the phalanges of the fingers, and ge- 

 nerally terminating in an abfcefs. Thefe are the parts 

 which are the ufual fituation of the complaint ; but fome- 

 times a difeafe, which is precifely fimilar, makes its attack 

 upon the toes. It is likewife to be underftood, that in fevere 

 cafes, the diforder extends itfelf to many other parts befides 

 the finger, the matter making its way upward higher than 

 the wrift. Thus, as Calhfen juftly obferves, the il<in, cel- 

 lular fubftance, fheath of the flexor tendons, and lefs com- 

 monly that of the extenfors, the tendons themfelves, the an- 

 nular and capfular ligaments, the periofteum, the very tex- 

 ture of the finger-bones, and the pulpy fubftance under- 

 neath the nail, are all parts to which a whitlow may extend 

 its mifchievous confequences. 



From what has been already obfervcd, it mufl; be plain 

 that whitlows differ very much in their degree of violence, 

 and in their depth and extent. Hence, furgical authors 

 ufually defcribe four or five varieties of the complaint. 

 The divifion adopted by Calhfen comprehends five cafes ; 

 namely, the cutaneous ovfuperjicial paronychia, l\it fubcutaneous 

 paronychia, the paronychia of the tendons, or theca, the parony- 

 chia of the periojieum, and the fubungual paronychia, or that 

 Jituated underneath the nail. 



The cutaneous paronychia begins with a fuperficial inflam- 

 matory rednefs of the finger, and, as early as the fecond or 

 third day from the commencement of the attack, the cuticle 

 of the part affefted becomes raifed in the form of veficles, 

 which contain a hmpid ferum, but fometimes a bloody fluid. 

 (Calhfen, vol. i. p. 294.) Mr. Pearfon defcribes the cu- 

 taneous paronychia as being feated at the end of the finger, 

 immediately below the cuticle, and as fometimes furrounding 

 the finger and root of the nail. The flcin, he fays, is very 

 little difcoloured. The cafe fpeedily advances to fuppura- 

 tion ; and when this procefs is completed, the cuticle ap- 

 pears almoft tranfparent. After the contents of this little 

 abfcefs are evacuated, the ulcer feldom demands any par- 

 ticular attention. Principles of Surgery, p. 88. edit. 2. 



The fubcutaneous paronychia makes its appearance in the 

 form of an inflammatory tumour, attended with a great deal 

 of acute pain. The fymptoms, however, are not alarming, 

 6 



nor do they generally extend beyond the inflamed finger. 

 In fevere examples, the whole hand is more or lefs affedted 

 with pain and tenfion, and uneafinefs is felt all up the arm. 

 The feverity of the pain, in fuch cafes, frequently prevents 

 fleep, and the whole fyftem is thrown into fome diforder. 

 The attack of this kind of whitlow is attended with a more 

 acute and throbbing pain than that of the cutaneous paro> 

 nychia, fuppuration proceeds more flowly, and matter is 

 frequently formed under the nail. The difeafe is particu- 

 larly fituated in the cellular membrane under the cutis. 



The more deeply-feated hinds of ivhitloiv are thofe affefting 

 the fheath of the flexor tendons and the periofteum, which 

 parts, indeed, by reafon of their vicinity to each other, are 

 often both attacked together. The difeafe commences 

 with an intenfe, burning, fhooting, throbbing pain in the 

 finger, accompanied with fevere febrile fymptoms. At firft, 

 no fwelling whatfoever can be perceived in the part affcfted; 

 but afterwards a flight cedematous tumour follows, which 

 gradually afTumes an inflammatory appearance, and the tu- 

 mefaftion fpreads from the finger to the hand, and fore- 

 arm, and even to the axilla. On the inner fide of the arm, 

 red hard ftreaks may alfo frequently be obferved, which are 

 inflamed abforbent veflels tending to the axillary glands, 

 which are themfelves fometimes enlarged and very painful. 

 The pain of the whitlow is particularly felt fhooting up 

 from the affefted finger to the inner condyle of the hume- 

 rus, and thence to the arm-pit. Delirium, and other alarm- 

 ing fymptoms, occafionally attend thefe worit defcriptions of 

 whitlows, which are alleged to have proved fometimes fatal. 

 The matter, which is fmall in quantity, is either coUefted 

 within the fheath of one of the tendons, or it is under the pe- 

 riofteum in contadt with the bone, which is generally found in 

 a carious ftate ; and fometimes the fuperincumbent integu- 

 ments fuffer fphacelation. See Pearfon's Principles, p. 90. 



The fubungual paronychia, or that which efpecially occurs 

 under the nail, commences with inflammatory fymptoms, 

 which are, however, much lefs urgent and dangerous than 

 thofe of the preceding cafe ; and the fituation of the difeafe 

 renders its nature quite obvious. 



The ufual exciting caufes of whitlows are various external 

 injuries, as pricks, contufions, &c. The lodgement of a 

 thorn or fplinter in the part, is another frequent caufe of 

 thefe abfcefTes. They are, however, much more common 

 in young healthy perfons than in others ; and they appear 

 in many inflances to occur fpontaneoufly, that is to fay, 

 without our being able to affign any manifeft caufe for them. 

 There is one particular fort of whitlow, which Mr. Pearfon 

 has thought proper to call venereal, as will be prefently 

 noticed. 



With regard to the prognoiis in ordinary examples of the 

 complaint, it may be laid down that the cutaneous and fub- 

 cutaneous paronychia: are in general unattended with 

 danger. But thofe whitlows which are frimed within the 

 theca of the flexor tendon, if they be not relieved by the 

 timely interference of furgery, very often produce abfcefTes, 

 extending up the hand and arm, in the courfe of the corre- 

 fponding tendon and mufcle, which parts become fo altered 

 and difeafed, that their funftions are permanently injured, 

 and the bones of the finger deftroyed by necrofis. When 

 alfo the periofteum is affefted, the matter lying underneath, 

 or clofely upon it, the neighbouring phalanx of the finger 

 generally perifhes. Whitlows beneath the nail frequently 

 occafion a lofs and feparation of the part. 



The indications in the treatment of whitlows are ; 



I . To endeavour to produce an early refolution of the in- 

 flammation ; but as this attempt feldom fucceefls, and the 

 cafe almoft proceeds to fuppiuation, 



2. The 



