Title: Fox, Francis M.

Source text: The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. (1861-65.), Part 2, Volume 1 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1879), 199-200.

Keywords:diarrhœa and dysenteryfatal cases of diarrhœa and dysentery, with accounts of the morbid appearances observedfrom the Third Division of the Alexandria Hospital, Virginiaconsumptionexhausting diarrhœanævi materniboth lungs infiltrated with miliary tubercles, several cavities in right upper lobemucous membrane of trachea ulceratedliver and spleen enlargedmesenteric glands cheesysmall intestine ulcerated in places, distinct pustules in othersthree distinct intussusceptions of small intestinekidneys enlargedlarge intestine congested and presented some ulcersdulnessdullness on percussion over whole lungcontusion of lumbar region, fell from treeautopsy performed

Civil War Washington ID: med.d1e41658

TEI/XML: med.d1e41658.xml


Case from the case-book of the THIRD DIVISION of the ALEXANDRIA HOSPITAL, Surgeon Edwin Bentley, U. S. V., in charge:⃰


CASE 521.—Private Francis M. Fox, company K, 109th New York volunteers; age 23; admitted from Augur hospital July 20, 1864. Consumption. [This man appears on the register of the Mount Pleasant hospital, Washington, D. C., admitted June 21st—contusion of lumbar region by falling from a tree; returned to duty June 22d. He appears on the register of the Augur Hospital, near Alexandria, Virginia, admitted July 4th—chronic rheumatism—sent to general hospital July 20th.] The patient was suffering from an exhausting diarrhœa and was much emaciated; his cough was not severe. There was dulness​ on percussion over the whole of the right lung. Treatment: Astringents, expectorants, cod-liver oil, stimulants and a nutritious diet. The diarrhœa was readily controlled, but the chest-symptoms were persistent. Died, November 13th. Autopsy eighteen hours after death: Body moderately rigid and much emaciated; several nævi materni were observed on the right hip. The right lung was infiltrated with miliary tubercles, and had several cavities in its upper lobe; the left lung was also tuberculous, but less diseased than the right; its upper lobe was adherent to the parietes of the chest. The mucous membrane of the trachea was ulcerated. The heart was small but normal; there was a small clot in the left ventricle; the large veins and arteries were nearly empty. The liver was enlarged; the gall-bladder empty. The spleen enlarged and filled with black blood. The mesenteric glands were cheesy. The small intestine was ulcerated in several places, in others presented distinct pustules; [?] three distinct intussusceptions of the small intestine were observed. The large intestine was congested and presented a number of ulcers. The kidneys were enlarged; the urinary bladder contained eight ounces of light-colored urine.


⃰ It is to be regretted that, in most instances, the records of this hospital do not show by whom the autopsies were made. It is known that many of them were made by Surgeon Bentley himself, or under his immediate supervision, but it is only possible to distinguish these from the others in a few cases.