DOI: 10.7925/drs1.ucdlib_280121
title: Malignant disease of the bladder

description: Watercolour medical illustration depicting fungous disease of the bladder. It has the alternative reference number 1228 and P6A on the front. The Richmond Hospital Museum reference is A.b.20. The entry for this in P263/1 pg. 6 reads 'Fungous disease of the bladder. Peter Coffey aet 55. Dr Fleming'. The handwritten note on the back begins 'Malignant disease of the bladder'. The artist's name is in the bottom right corner 'J. Connolly fec.t'. Also includes an illustration of a beaker.
description: Scope and content: The full handwritten note on the back reads 'Malignant disease of the bladder. Dr Fleming exhibited a specimen of malignant fungus of the bladder, taken from the body of a man about 55 aet & of great size & weight who applied at the Richmond Hospital, labouring under the rational signs of stone in the bladder so strongly marked that nothing but the introduction of a sound was supposed to [?] to establish its presence. No stone, however, could be detected, when the instrument was passed. The man would not then remain in the hospital, but six weeks afterwards was admitted under the case of Dr Fleming. In the intervening period, he had been employed at his ordinary work as a lime-burner. As far as could be learned from him (for he was quite deaf) the symptoms of urinary disease had only shown themselves two months before the period of his admission, his sufferings were most acute & never increased to an agonising degree by any rough movement. He now suffered from irregular attacks of hematuria, there was nothing in his aspect indication of malignant disease * his general appearance was that of a person in tolerable health. The condition of the walls of the abdomen rendered it impossible to ascertain the state of the bladder form examination of the hypogastric region, the accumulation of fat was so considerable. There was, however, no appreciable tenderness on [?]. Examination of the rectum detected enlargements of the lateral lobes of the prostate gland. The introduction of the catheter gave considerable pain & when a to-and-for movement was given to the instrument a distinct sensation of its friction against a solid substance was communicated. On no occasion of the introduction of the catheter was more than an ounce of so of urine found in the bladder & overall, blood was present. The urine was alkaline & loaded with mucus and phosphate. After admission, the patient's urinary symptoms increased in intensity, fever of a typhoid character set in, the amount of urine [?] diminished from day to day, so as ultimately not to exceed an ounce or so, he became delirious & comatose & died ten days after admission. Autopsy: The bladder was of the size & form of a cocoa-nut & had a solid resistant feel. On being laid open, there was exposed to view, a number of cauliflower like growths from its mucus membrane, the majority of which were attached by narrow [?], from two, however, were [?]; all grown from the inferior fundus of the organ, & one of considerable size obstructed the orifice of the urethra. There was no ulceration within the bladder which contained but little urine. The left ureter in particular was [?] with urine'.
description: Numbering/sequence: Original reference number: 1228.
description: Date details: This illustration is undated, approximate dates are given based on dates for the entire collection.