Title: Nichols, George

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), 154.

Keywords:diarrhœa and dysenteryfatal cases of diarrhœa and dysentery, with accounts of the morbid appearances observedfrom the Douglas Hospital, Washington, D. C.chronic diarrhœa for a yeartormina and tenesmusexternal pilesstools bloodyacute pleurisylung collapsed but connected to thoracic parietes and diaphragm by pleuritic adhesionsapex of upper lobe of lung contained tubercular depositscolon ulceratedautopsy performed

Civil War Washington ID: med.d1e40934

TEI/XML: med.d1e40934.xml


Case from the case-book and medical descriptive lists of the DOUGLAS HOSPITAL, Washington, D. C., Assistant Surgeon William F. Norris in charge from October, 1864, to September, 1865:


CASE 322.—Sergeant-major George Nichols, 5th United States cavalry; admitted from Winchester, Virginia, January 18, 1865. Chronic diarrhœa. This patient had suffered from diarrhœa for a year. At times the symptoms were very severe, at other times he had but three or four stools in the twenty-four hours. At present the stools are bloody, and accompanied by tormina and tenesmus. He is greatly debilitated, and had upward of thirty-six scanty stools in the last twenty-four hours. An aperient of castor oil was prescribed, to be followed by quarter of a grain of nitrate of silver and one grain of sulphate of quinia every four hours; also an injection of twenty drops of laudanum in thin starch-water three times a day. Stimulants were also prescribed. January 21st: The stools have diminished to eight or nine daily. The patient complains of a cough, which he says he has had for some time; the sputa are thin and yellow. An expectorant mixture was prescribed. January 22d: He complained of external piles; applied an ointment containing tannic acid. January 24th: Complained of weakness in the back; applied a pitch plaster. January 26th: Ordered tincture of the chloride of iron three times daily. February 5th: Has eight or nine passages in the twenty-four hours; is still much debilitated. ℞. Persulphate of iron fifty grains, peppermint water one ounce. Take thirty drops four times a day. February 10th: There is slight fever and headache, for which a diaphoretic was prescribed. February 12th: Symptoms of acute pleurisy set in. Died, February 14th. Autopsy twelve hours after death: Body emaciated; rigor mortis well developed. The left lung was collapsed, but connected to the thoracic parietes, and especially to the diaphragm, by pleuritic adhesions; the left pleural sac contained upward of thirty-two ounces of thin yellow serum in which clots of coagulated lymph floated; the superior lobe of the left lung was healthy, its inferior lobe somewhat hepatized; there were slight recent pleuritic adhesions on the right side. The apex of the upper lobe of the right lung contained tubercular deposits; the rest of the lung was healthy. The colon was ulcerated. The other organs were not examined.—Acting Assistant Surgeon Carlos Carvallo.