Title: Smith, Michael K.

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), 202.

Keywords:diarrhœa and dysenteryfatal cases of diarrhœa and dysentery, with accounts of the morbid appearances observedfrom the Third Division of the Alexandria Hospital, Virginiachronic diarrhœapain in region of heartblowing sound on auscultation of hearterysipelaspericardium contained serumvalves of heart thickened and closed imperfectlyliver presented nutmeg appearanceautopsy performed

Civil War Washington ID: med.d1e41719

TEI/XML: med.d1e41719.xml


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


CASE 535.—Private Michael K. Smith, company G, 189th New York volunteers; age 41; admitted from regimental hospital May 15, 1865. Chronic diarrhœa. The patient was very low, and complained of pain in the region of the heart; on auscultation a blowing sound was heard. ℞. Blue mass and opium of each eight grains, extract of nux vomica two grains; make eight pills. Take one every three hours. This checked the diarrhœa somewhat, and the patient appeared to improve until May 23d, when he had a severe attack of erysipelas, and died May 24th. Autopsy six hours after death: The lower lobe of the right lung was hepatized. The pericardium contained four ounces of serum. The valves of the heart were thickened and closed imperfectly. The liver presented the nutmeg appearance; the gall-bladder was very much distended with bile. [The state of the intestines is not recorded.]


⃰ 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.