Civil War Washington

CASE 107.—Recurring chills; diarrhœa; rose-colored spots; gastric irritability; improvement about end of 4th week.—Private R. M. Robinson, Co. C, 9th Pa. Vols.; age 19; was admitted Sept. 19, 1861, with typhoid fever. About three weeks before his admission he had been taken with chills and pain in the head and bones; the former recurred at intervals of several days with fever at night and continued diarrhœa. On the evening of the 19th the patient was weak but looked well; pulse 78, eyes bright and clear, skin warm but dry and covered on the abdomen and chest with characteristic rose-spots, tongue dry, smooth, glossy and nearly clean; but he had pains in the head, back and limbs and in the hypogastric and right iliac regions, with distended bladder and dysuria. Castor oil, acetate of potash and sweet spirit of nitre were given. He slept badly and had epistaxis at night. Next day the pain in the back and limbs was severe; the skin was dry and warm, the tongue dry, cracked and yellowish-brown in color, the stomach slightly irritable, the bowels tender; one stool was passed. On the 23d a second crop of rose-colored spots appeared on the surface; the bowels were quiet and the tenderness much relieved. The tongue became clean on the 25th. On the 30th the patient was considered convalescent. He was transferred to Annapolis, Md., November 1 [and was returned to duty December 12].