Publications of the Massachusetts General Hospital Volume 3-4 (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. 1910 Excerpt: ... that two weeks after her series of inoculations, ten months previously, the agglutinative strength of her blood was 1 to 100. Whether the increased agglutinative strength on the third day in the subsequent infection can be regarded as a sufficient evidence for the diagnosis of typhoid fever must be considered doubtful. Even if we admit, however, that this case was one of typhoid fever, its extreme mildness is suggestive. Curiously enough, the same individual is now suffering from an attack of measles and the blood shows once more a typhoid reaction in a dilution of 1 to 100. Among the individuals inoculated in hospitals other than the Massachusetts General Hospital it is stated that local or general reactions were absent or slight in 83; of the cases; of moderate severity in 136; and more severe in 4. Agglutination tests were performed in a few cases in two hospitals and all those inoculated at a third. Those in which the blood was investigated showed strengths ranging from 1 to 50 to 1 to 600. Among the nurses inoculated in hospitals other than the Massachusetts General Hospital, 2 cases of typhoid fever have developed. The first case showed its earliest symptoms shortly after the first inoculation had been given. Mild fever was present for two weeks and convalescence is now in progress. In this hospital an epidemic among the nurses was already in progress and there can be little doubt that this nurse received her first inoculation during the incubation period. The second case presents many points of interest. The patient was a woman who had been nursing 2 cases very sick with typhoid fever. Both were extremely delirious, absolutely incontinent, and both subsequently died. The attending nurse received three inoculations with a vaccine similar to that used...