Civil War Washington

Case was forwarded, with specimens, to the Army Medical Museum from the JUDICIARY SQUARE HOSPITAL, Washington, D. C., Assistant Surgeon Elias J. Marsh, U. S. A., in charge.

CASE 265.—Private Daniel Webster, company G, 27th New York volunteers; admitted from the army of the Potomac February 15, 1863. Diarrhœa. [It appears from the register of the hospital of the 1st Division, 6th Corps, that this man was admitted to that hospital January 20th, and sent to Washington February 13th; the diagnosis recorded is chronic dysentery.] He stated that he had suffered more or less from diarrhœa ever since enlistment in May, 1861, suffering always most after marching. About December 1, 1862, he was confined to his bed, and has not been up since. Died, February 17th. Autopsy next day: There were pleuritic adhesions on the left side, and the lower lobe of the left lung was hepatized; the right lung was healthy. The liver, stomach, kidneys, suprarenal capsules, and the greater part of the small intestine were healthy. The mucous membrane of the colon was inflamed and thickened throughout its whole extent, with ulcers, especially in the cæcum and sigmoid flexure; pseudomembranous patches covered much of the surface of the mucous membrane between the ulcers.—Assistant Surgeon E. J. Marsh, U. S. A. [No. 222, Medical Section, Army Medical Museum, is from this case. The specimen is a portion of the colon, which is somewhat thickened, frosted with pseudomebrane, and presents a few small follicular ulcers.]