Fourteen Cases of Disease
Case I
Philiscus, who lived by the Wall, took to bed on the first
day of acute fever; he sweated; towards night was uneasy. On the second
day all the symptoms were exacerbated; late in the evening had a proper
stool from a small clyster; the night quiet. On the third day, early
in the morning and until noon, he appeared to be free from fever;
towards evening, acute fever, with sweating, thirst, tongue parched;
passed black urine; night uncomfortable, no sleep; he was delirious
on all subjects. On the fourth, all the symptoms exacerbated, urine
black; night more comfortable, urine of a better color. On the fifth,
about mid-day, had a slight trickling of pure blood from the nose;
urine varied in character, having floating in it round bodies, resembling
semen, and scattered, but which did not fall to the bottom; a suppository
having been applied, some scanty flatulent matters were passed; night
uncomfortable, little sleep, talking incoherently; extremities altogether
cold, and could not be warmed; urine, black; slept a little towards
day; loss of speech, cold sweats; extremities livid; about the middle
of the sixth day he died. The respiration throughout, like that of
a person recollecting himself, was rare, and large, and spleen was
swelled upon in a round tumor, the sweats cold throughout, the paroxysms
on the even days.
Case 2
Silenus lived on the Broad-way, near the house of Evalcidas.
From fatigue, drinking, and unseasonable exercises, he was seized
with fever. He began with having pain in the loins; he had heaviness
of the head, and there was stiffness of the neck. On the first day
the alvine discharges were bilious, unmixed,
[p. 115]frothy, high colored,
and copious; urine black, having a black sediment; he was thirsty,
tongue dry; no sleep at night. On the second, acute fever, stools
more copious, thinner, frothy; urine black, an uncomfortable night,
slight delirium. On the third, all the symptoms exacerbated; an oblong
distention, of a softish nature, from both sides of the hypochondrium
to the navel; stools thin, and darkish; urine muddy, and darkish;
no sleep at night; much talking, laughter, singing, he could not restrain
himself. On the fourth, in the same state. On the fifth, stools bilious,
unmixed, smooth, greasy; urine thin, and transparent; slight absence
of delirium. On the sixth, slight perspiration about the head; extremities
cold and livid; much tossing about; no passage from the bowels, urine
suppressed, acute fever. On the seventh, loss of speech; extremities
could no longer be kept warm; no discharge of urine. On the eighth,
a cold sweat all over; red rashes with sweat, of a round figure, small,
like vari, persistent, not subsiding; by means of a slight stimulus,
a copious discharge from the bowels, of a thin and undigested character,
with pain; urine acrid, and passed with pain; extremities slightly
heated; sleep slight, and comatose; speechless; urine thin, and transparent.
On the ninth, in the same state. On the tenth, no drink taken; comatose,
sleep slight; alvine discharges the same; urine abundant, and thickish;
when allowed to stand, the sediment farinaceous and white; extremities
again cold. On the eleventh, he died. At the commencement, and throughout,
the respiration was slow and large; there was a constant throbbing
in the hypochondrium; his age was about twenty.
Case 3
Herophon was seized with an acute fever; alvine discharges
at first were scanty, and attended with tenesmus; but afterwards they
were passed of a thin, bilious character, and frequent; there was
no sleep; urine black, and thin. On the fifth, in the morning, deafness;
all the symptoms exacerbated; spleen swollen; distention of the hypochondrium;
alvine discharges scanty, and black; he became delirious. On the sixth,
delirious; at night, sweating, coldness; the delirium continued. On
the seventh, he became cold, thirsty, was disordered in mind; at night
recovered his senses; slept. On the eighth, was feverish;
[p. 116] the spleen
diminished in size; quite collected; had pain at first about the groin,
on the same side as the spleen; had pains in both legs; night comfortable;
urine better colored, had a scanty sediment. On the ninth, sweated;
the crisis took place; fever remitted. On the fifth day afterwards,
fever relapsed, spleen immediately became swollen; acute fever; deafness
again. On the third day after the relapse, the spleen diminished;
deafness less; legs painful; sweated during the night; crisis took
place on the seventeenth day; had no disorder of the senses during
the relapse.
Case 4
In Thasus, the wife of Philinus, having been delivered of
a daughter, the discharge being natural, and other matters going on
mildly, on the fourteenth day after delivery was seized with fever,
attended with rigor; was pained at first in the cardiac region of
the stomach and right hypochondrium; pain in the genital organs; lochial
discharge ceased. Upon the application of a pessary all these symptoms
were alleviated; pains of the head, neck, and loins remained; no sleep;
extremities cold; thirst; bowels in a hot state; stools scanty; urine
thin, and colorless at first. On the sixth, towards night, senses
much disordered, but again were restored. On the seventh, thirsty;
the evacuations bilious, and high colored. On the eighth, had a rigor;
acute fever; much spasm, with pain; talked much, incoherently; upon
the application of a suppository, rose to stool, and passed copious
dejections, with a bilious flux; no sleep. On the ninth, spasms. On
the tenth, slightly recollected. On the eleventh, slept; had perfect
recollection, but again immediately wandered; passed a large quantity
of urine with spasms, (the attendants seldom putting her in mind),
it was thick, white, like urine which has been shaken after it has
stood for a considerable time until it has subsided, but it had no
sediment; in color and consistence, the urine resembled that of cattle,
as far as I observed. About the fourteenth day, startings over the
whole body; talked much; slightly collected, but presently became
again delirious. About the seventeenth day became speechless, on the
twentieth died.
Case 5
The wife of Epicrates, who was lodged at the house
[p. 117] of Archigetes,
being near the term of delivery, was seized with a violent rigor,
and, as was said, she did not become heated; next day the same. On
the third, she was delivered of a daughter, and everything went on
properly. On the day following her delivery, she was seized with acute
fever, pain in the cardiac region of the stomach, and in the genital
parts. Having had a suppository, was in so far relieved; pain in the
head, neck, and loins; no sleep; alvine discharges scanty, bilious,
thin, and unmixed; urine thin, and blackish. Towards the night of
the sixth day from the time she was seized with the fever, became
delirious. On the seventh, all the symptoms exacerbated; insomnolency,
delirium, thirst; stools bilious, and high colored. On the eighth,
had a rigor; slept more. On the ninth, the same. On the tenth, her
limbs painfully affected; pain again of the cardiac region of the
stomach; heaviness of the head; no delirium; slept more; bowels constipated.
On the eleventh, passed urine of a better color, and having an abundant
sediment; felt lighter. On the fourteenth had a rigor; acute fever.
On the fifteenth, had a copious vomiting of bilious and yellow matters;
sweated; fever gone; at night acute fever; urine thick, sediment white.
On the seventeenth, an exacerbation; night uncomfortable; no sleep;
delirium. On the eighteenth, thirsty; tongue parched; no sleep; much
delirium; legs painfully affected. About the twentieth, in the morning,
had as light rigor; was comatose; slept tranquilly; had slight vomiting
of bilious and black matters; towards night deafness. About the twenty-first,
weight generally in the left side, with pain; slight urine thick,
muddy, and reddish; when allowed to stand, had no sediment; in other
respects felt lighter; fever not gone; fauces painful from the commencement,
and red; uvula retracted; defluxion remained acrid, pungent, and saltish
throughout. About the twenty-seventh, free of fever; sediment in the
urine; pain in the side. About the thirty-first, was attacked with
fever, bilious diarrhea; slight bilious vomiting on the fortieth.
Had a complete crisis, and was freed from the fever on the eightieth
day.
Case 6
Cleonactides, who was lodged above the Temple of Hercules,
was seized with a fever in an irregular form; was pained
[p. 118]in the head
and left side from the commencement, and had other pains resembling
those produced by fatigue; paroxysms of the fevers inconstant and
irregular; occasional sweats; the paroxysms generally attacked on
the critical days. About the twenty-fourth was cold in the extremities
of the hands, vomitings bilious, yellow, and frequent, soon turning
to a verdigris-green color; general relief. About the thirtieth, began
to have hemorrhage from both nostrils, and this continued in an irregular
manner until near the crisis; did not loathe food, and had no thirst
throughout, nor was troubled with insomnolency; urine thin, and not
devoid of color. When about the thirtieth day, passed reddish urine,
having a copious red sediment; was relieved, but afterwards the characters
of the urine varied, sometimes having sediment, and sometimes not.
On the sixtieth, the sediment in the urine copious, white, and smooth;
all the symptoms ameliorated; intermission of the fever; urine thin,
and well colored. On the seventieth, fever gone for ten days. On the
eightieth had a rigor, was seized with acute fever, sweated much;
a red, smooth sediment in the urine; and a perfect crisis.
Case 7
Meton was seized with fever; there was a painful weight in
the loins. Next day, after drinking water pretty copiously, had proper
evacuations from the bowels. On the third, heaviness of the head,
stools thin, bilious, and reddish. On the fourth, all the symptoms
exacerbated; had twice a scanty trickling of blood from the right
nostril; passed an uncomfortable night; alvine discharges like those
on the third day; urine darkish, had a darkish cloud floating in it,
of a scattered form, which did not subside. On the fifth, a copious
hemorrhage of pure blood from the left he sweated, and had a crisis.
After the fever restless, and had some delirium; urine thin, and darkish;
had an affusion of warm water on the head; slept and recovered his
senses. In this case there was no relapse, but there were frequent
hemorrhages after the crisis.
Case 8
Erasinus, who lived near the Canal of Bootes, was seized
with fever after supper; passed the night in an agitated state. During
the first day quiet, but in pain at night. On the second, symptoms
all exacerbated; at night delirious. On the
[p. 119]third, was in a painful
condition; great incoherence. On the fourth, in a most uncomfortable
state; had no sound sleep at night, but dreaming and talking; then
all the appearances worse, of a formidable and alarming character;
fear, impatience. On the morning of the fifth, was composed, and quite
coherent, but long before noon was furiously mad, so that he could
not constrain himself; extremities cold, and somewhat livid; urine
without sediment; died about sunset. The fever in this case was accompanied
by sweats throughout; the sweats throughout; the hypochondria were
in a state of meteorism, with distention and pain; the urine was black,
has round substances floating in it, which did not subside; the alvine
evacuations were not stopped; thirst throughout not great; much spasms
with sweats about the time of death.
Case 9
Criton, in Thasus, while still on foot, and going about, was
seized with a violent pain in the great toe; he took to bed the same
day, had rigors and nausea, recovered his heat slightly, at night
was delirious. On the second, swelling of the whole foot, and about
the ankle erythema, with distention, and small bullae (phlyctaenae);
acute fever; he became furiously deranged; alvine discharges bilious,
unmixed, and rather frequent. He died on the second day from the commencement.
Case 10
The Clazomenian who was lodged by the Well of Phrynichides
was seized with fever. He had pain in the head, neck, and loins from
the beginning, and immediately afterwards deafness; no sleep, acute
fever, hypochondria elevated with a swelling, but not much distention;
tongue dry. On the fourth, towards night, he became delirious. On
the fifth, in an uneasy state. On the sixth, all the symptoms exacerbated.
About the eleventh a slight remission; from the commencement to the
fourteenth day the alvine discharges thin, copious, and of the color
of water, but were well supported; the bowels then became constipated.
Urine throughout thin, and well colored, and had many substances scattered
through it, but no sediment. About the sixteenth, urine somewhat thicker,
which had a slight sediment; somewhat better, and more collected.
On the seventeenth, urine again thin; swellings about both his ears,
with pain; no sleep, some incoherence; legs painfully affected. On
the twenti-
[p. 120]eth, free of fever, had a crisis, no sweat, perfectly collected.
About the twenty-seventh, violent pain of the right hip; it speedily
went off. The swellings about the ears subsided, and did not suppurate,
but were painful. About the thirty-first, a diarrhea attended with
a copious discharge of watery matter, and symptoms of dysentery; passed
thick urine; swellings about the ears gone. About the fortieth day,
had pain in the right eye, sight dull. It went away.
Case 11
The wife of Dromeades having been delivered of a female child,
and all other matters going on properly, on the second day after was
seized with rigor and acute fever. Began to have pain about the hypochondrium
on the first day; had nausea and incoherence, and for some hours afterwards
had no sleep; respiration rare, large, and suddenly interrupted. On
the day following that on which she had the rigor, alvine discharges
proper; urine thick, white, muddy, like urine which has been shaken
after standing for some time, until the sediment had fallen to the
bottom; it had no sediment; she did not sleep during the night. On
the third day, about noon, had a rigor, acute fever; urine the same;
pain of the hypochondria, nausea, an uncomfortable night, no sleep;
a coldish sweat all over, but heat quickly restored. On the fourth,
slight alleviation of the symptoms about the hypochondria; heaviness
of the head, with pain; somewhat comatose; slight epistaxis, tongue
dry, thirst, urine thin and oily; slept a little, upon awaking was
somewhat comatose; slight coldness, slept during the night, was delirious.
On the morning of the sixth had a rigor, but soon recovered her heat,
sweated all over; extremities cold, was delirious, respiration rare
and large. Shortly afterwards spasms from the head began, and she
immediately expired.
Case 12
A man, in a heated state, took supper, and drank more than
enough; he vomited the whole during the night; acute fever, pain of
the right hypochondrium, a softish inflammation from the inner part;
passed an uncomfortable night; urine at the commencement thick, red,
but when allowed to stand, had no sediment, tongue dry, and not very
thirsty. On the fourth, acute fever, pains all over. On the fifth,
urine smooth, oily, and
[p. 121] copious; acute fever. On the sixth, in the
evening, very incoherent, no sleep during the night. On the seventh,
all the symptoms exacerbated; urine of the same characters; much talking,
and he could not contain himself; the bowels being stimulated, passed
a watery discharge with lumbrici: night equally painful. In the morning
had a rigor; acute fever, hot sweat, appeared to be free of fever;
did not sleep long; after the sleep a chill, ptyalism; in the evening,
great incoherence; after a little, vomited a small quantity of dark
bilious matters. On the ninth, coldness, much delirium, did not sleep.
On the tenth, pains in the limbs, all the symptoms exacerbated; he
was delirious. On the eleventh, he died.
Case 13
A woman, who lodged on the Quay, being three months gone
with child, was seized with fever, and immediately began to have pains
in the loins. On the third day, pain of the head and neck, extending
to the clavicle, and right hand; she immediately lost the power of
speech; was paralyzed in the right hand, with spasms, after the manner
of paraplegia; was quite incoherent; passed an uncomfortable night;
did not sleep; disorder of the bowels, attended with bilious, On the
fourth, recovered the use of her tongue; spasms of the same parts,
and general pains remained; swelling in the hypochondrium, accompanied
with pain; did not sleep, was quite incoherent; bowels disordered,
urine thin, and not of a good color. On the fifth, acute fever; pain
of the hypochondrium, quite incoherent; alvine evacuations bilious;
towards night had a sweat, and was freed from the fever. On the sixth,
recovered her reason; was every way relieved; the pain remained about
the left clavicle; was thirsty, urine thin, had no sleep. On the seventh
trembling, slight coma, some incoherence, pains about the clavicle
and left arm remained; in all other respects was alleviated; quite
coherent. For three days remained free from fever. On the eleventh,
had a relapse, with rigor and fever. About the fourteenth day, vomited
pretty abundantly bilious and yellow matters, had a sweat, the fever
went off, by coming to a crisis.
Case 14
Melidia, who lodged near the Temple of Juno, began to feel
a violent pain of the head, neck, and chest. She
[p. 122]was straightway seized
with acute fever; a slight appearance of the menses; continued pains
of all these parts. On the sixth, was affected with coma, nausea,
and rigor; redness about the cheeks; slight delirium. On the seventh,
had a sweat; the fever intermitted, the pains remained. A relapse;
little sleep; urine throughout of a good color, but thin; the alvine
evacuations were thin, bilious, acrid, very scanty, black, and fetid;
a white, smooth sediment in the urine; had a sweat, and experienced
a perfect crisis on the eleventh day.
