Civil War Washington

CASE 48.—Private William Duryea, Co. I, 109th N. Y.; age 21; was admitted May 14, 1864, with a gunshot flesh wound of the left forearm, which healed kindly. On the 18th he was furloughed for thirty days, and on his return, June 18, he was placed on light hospital duty, his wound unfitting him as yet for active service. On July 28 he was taken with headache and nocturnal delirium; his pulse 100 and his tongue coated with a dark fur. A few days later some difficulty of breathing was noted, with slight diarrhœa and twitchings of the tendons, the delirium having meanwhile become constant. His condition remained unchanged, but for progressive weakness, until August 7, when he died. Post-mortem examination six hours after death: The lungs were congested. The heart was pale and contained no clots. The liver was of normal size but congested; the gall bladder filled with viscid bile; the spleen dark-colored, slightly enlarged and congested; the kidneys normal. The mucous membrane of the stomach was light-colored, thickened and softened. The lining membrane of the small intestine was soft and somewhat thickened down to the lower portion of the ileum, in which there were large ulcers at different points some distance from each other; near the ileo-cæcal valve it was greatly thickened and congested, and presented very large ulcers surrounded by red areolæ and penetrating to the muscular coat. The mucous membrane of the large intestine was greatly congested and its solitary follicles slightly enlarged. The mesenteric glands were enlarged. [Specimen 352, Med. Sect., Army Medical Museum, ulceration of ileum, was obtained from this case.]—Act. Ass't Surg. O. P. Sweet, Carver Hospital, Washington, D. C.