Civil War Washington

CASE 21.—Headache; epistaxis; delirium; sordes and rose-colored spots on the 12th day; perspirations and convalescence on the 29th.—Private Jno. Stoddard, Co. A, 13th N. Y. Vols.; age 25; was admitted Nov. 1, 1861, having been sick for a week before admission with headache, epistaxis, anorexia, thirst and cough. On the 2d the patient's eyes were suffused, face congested, pulse 100, full and strong, skin hot, tongue red at the tip and edges and coated yellowish in the centre; appetite poor; he had epistaxis during the day and one passage from the bowels, which gurgled and were tender on pressure, particularly on the right side; he had also some cough with yellowish blood-streaked sputa. The epistaxis did not recur, and next day he had headache, which was accompanied by mental hebetude on the 4th and by delirium on the 5th. An eight-grain dose of quinine, turpentine emulsion three times a day, and six grains of calomel with one of opium at night, were prescribed on the 4th. Rose-colored spots appeared on the chest at this time, as also dryness of the tongue and blackening of the teeth and lips from sordes. The delirium lasted only one day, but the dulness​ of mind persisted. A diarrhœa of three or four stools daily was perhaps due to the calomel, which was repeated on the 5th. Much abdominal tenderness and tympanites were also present; the appetite, however, continued good and the thirst was lessened. The tongue became moist and covered with white patches on the 6th, swollen and coated on the 7th and 8th and clean on the 10th; but the skin did not become moist until the 21st. On the 22d there was profuse perspiration. Complaint was made of earache on the 25th. Three days later the patient was able to leave his bed. On December 3, when transferred to Baltimore, Md., he had tinnitus aurium and cough and his bowels were slightly relaxed.