Civil War Washington

CASE 54.—Private Peter A. Beanson, Co. A, 52d N. Y.; age 38; was admitted Nov. 23, 1863, having been sick five weeks with typhoid fever (malarial). There was no tenderness in the right iliac region; the tongue was coated with a black fur and the skin tinged yellow; he had a purulent discharge from the ear. Persistent diarrhœa set in on December 14, with occasional delirium and great prostration. Erysipelas attacked the face on the 17th and the patient became comatose and had convulsive twitchings of the limbs. He died next day. Post-mortem examination on the 19th: Body not much emaciated. The pharynx, larynx and trachea were inflamed and ulcerated; the mucous membrane was of a purplish color except about the chordæ vocales, where it was stone-gray; the epiglottis was ulcerated on both sides, the fold of mucous membrane running from it to the cornu major on the left side was also ulcerated; the mucous membrane over the arytenoid cartilages was much tumefied; there was a small abscess between the cricoid cartilage and the pharynx. The lungs were congested posteriorly but otherwise healthy. The liver was healthy. Peyer's patches were ulcerated but not elevated, the ulcers blackish and with thick, sharply defined edges; the bases of some were so discolored that the dark hue was conspicuous through the peritoneum; the solitary glands were not seen.—Ass't Surg. Harrison Allen, U. S. A., Lincoln Hospital, Washington, D. C.