Howrah Hospital Report for 1846. 5J9 



ridden, unable to raise his lower extremities off the bed, there 

 is increased sensibility to touch of the shrunken lower extremities, 

 particularly about the calves, and a stiff contracted state of the 

 hamstrings ; no pain on tapping the spine ; he does not sleep at night, 

 and there is considerable morbid nervous anxiety about him. In 

 the course of three months after the same sedulous use as above of 

 motion, and gradually bringing the loosened joints to bear weight, and 

 general tonics given internally, he began to walk with support, and 

 rapidly recovered afterwards. 



Another case occurred this year in the neighbourhood of Howrah, 

 partaking of the nature of the two last cases, and referable, I am of 

 opinion, to spinal medullary irritation or morbid alteration of some 

 kind ; the patient, an old soldier, of 50 years old, has been subject 

 in other years to severe pains and numbness of his lower extremities ; 

 this year, after having ailed at different times from diarrhoea and 

 rheumatism, towards the end of the rains he was attacked with 

 the following symptoms, viz. vomiting after taking his food, general 

 uneasiness of body, giddiness, he complains of exquisite sensitiveness 

 and soreness of the whole surface of his body, so that he cannot 

 bear the least pressure over him, or the slightest breath of air to 

 blow upon him without experiencing great pain ; he has a sense 

 of tightness across his chest, and weight at the epigastrium, with 

 some little tormina and tenesmus ; numbness and loss of power of 

 extremities and joints generally, and general prostration ; no pain felt 

 on tapping the spine. He improved considerably in about a month, 

 and after a trip to the Sandheads. The treatment consisted of 

 aperients, hot bath, sinapisms, soothing doses of antim. potass tart., 

 c. tr. opii., blister to the back, enemata; latterly quinine and port 

 wine to recruit the shattered strength. 



Morbus Cordis. — Several interesting cases of disease of the 

 heart, in all seven, have been admitted into the hospital during 

 the year ; the disease having been recognised by the symptoms 

 during life, and the diagnosis, in some of the cases, confirmed 

 afterwards by post mortem examination. Of four cases in 

 which an opportunity of examination occurred, complications 

 of other diseases existed : in one dysentery carried off the pa- 



