Guy's Hospital Reports] (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1874. Excerpt: ... ON ERYSIPELAS OF THE KIDNEY AND "URINARY TRACT, WITH SOME REMARKS ON THE DISEASE GENERALLY CALLED SURGICAL KIDNEY. By JAMES F. GOODHART, M.D. An uncommon or new name for a disease requires a word of explanation from him who makes use of it. The cases which I propose to describe under the name of erysipelas of the kidney, &c, are selected instances of that disease which is more commonly known as surgical kidney or suppurative nephritis. I have ventured on the former term for two reasons--firstly, because I believe that some cases of suppurating kidney are really erysipelatous in their origin; and, secondly, because I want to draw very pointed attention to that fact. This I could not do so well under a more familiar term when the disease is one which everybody thinks is known so thoroughly. The present day is one somewhat extravagant in its demand for original work. Very little originality can be elicited from these cases; they belong to a group always to be found in hospital wards, and which have been repeatedly described before, though not in the same terms. Notwithstanding this, their treatment is not yet as successful as most surgeons would wish; and I am thus emboldened to ask further attention to the subject. It has long been thought that the catheter and suppurative nephritis were closely allied as cause and effect. We have lately been taught that the catheter is intimately connected with the appearance of living organisms in the urine, and we have also learned that "contagium is particulate." I do not now express an opinion on these doctrines, but to those who believe in them it will only be an additional link in the chain of evidence, that erysipelas, a specific something, may be communicated by the catheter. It is to be regretted that every one wh...