The North-Carolina standard., 1845-04-30
HEALTH OF RAEEIGHI3

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From what we have learnsd d, we incline TO
think the, Register and Star mistaken, as 70 the
facts in their remarks about the health of Raleigh
They say :, sThe reports which have gone abroad
in relation to the prevalence of a disease in this
City, called the 5Ide tongue, are entirely false
We are authorized ia saying that the FIRST case Of
this. form Of the prevailing epidemic has not oc
CURED in Raleigh" Now aoe are authorized to
say, on the authority of a regular physician, q
graduate of one of the FIRST UNIVERSITIES, and in
good practice here, that the disease called the
black tongae, or by Prof Dunglison the SO black
tongue fever" does prevail here, and has prevail
cd for several days. past We have before US, in
"The New Orleans Medical Journal" edited by
Doctors Fcnner and Hester, some " Remarks on
Erysipetatous Fever, or Black Tongue, by w.
r. aPuckett, NJ. d., of Warrenton, Miss" DR..
Puckett gives the following outline of the symp-
toms as they generally occur:
"Soarness Of the throat more or less severe,
with some difficulty ofdeelatition and enlargement
of the parotid submaxIllarY or lymphatc glands of
the neck. Pain in the head and limbs, oG1en Sc
we're and not confined to any particular part pain
and uneasiness in the muscles concerned in NOV
ing the head: The tohsils were often'found swol-
many cases difficulty Of respiration. The tongue
covered with dirty looking gray coat with red
edges, papille projecting through 1t; sometimes it
was Of dark brown color In the centre, and would
become considerably swollen : The skin
hot and dry with peculiar puagenth heat, bot soon
becoming moist with eerous oozng of an acid
character. The pulse varied; sometimes it was
full and strong compressibe, and at ulhers weak,
quick and small" ..s
DR.. PuckeIt goes on to say, that there some
times appears-to be totally different method of
attack. The patient, for instance, is suddenly
seized with chill, nausea and vomiting, accom-
panied with distressing pains in different parts Of
the body, apparently of neuralgia character.
The disease he says, often locates itself in in
jured or affected part and when it takes hold Of
the larynx and trachea, it assumes the form Of
pneumonia" For this article, see the Journal
already referred to, page 27. At the particular
request of our friend the physician alluded 10 in
the first part Of this article, we accompanied him
on Monday morning last on his visits to two of
his patients. We found the face of one very much
looking grey coat )" and the tongue Of The other,
who has since died. was of " a dark brown COLOR
and her face also swollen. :s ~,..s.....E
We subjoin, from standard authors, the follow
ing remarks in relation to this disease: ,s...-
Within the last year or two there has appeared
Ia different parts Of the United States an Epidem-
&c ErySipeLaS in which diffuse inflammation of
the mucous membranes constituted an importa Mt
and pathognomoDic feature: This disease has aE-
quired names deduced from some prominent s4mp-
tom, OF part more strikinglY changed, and hence
the terms 81 Black Tongue y " Swelled head. &c
Ar one lime it showed itself as erysipelas con-
t. CI
some of the LymPhatic glands at another, as a |
TvPhoid Pneumonia sometimes connected with !
swelling of the Axiary Glands. Doctor Sutton
(Western Lancet, r943) among other cases occur
ring IN the State of Indiana, relates in which
after high fever ard its usual concornitants, and
also neuralgia pains Of the head and neck the |
patient man of temperate habits, was seized with
of the throat and the left side of
the neck. with painful swelling of the tonsil sub /
parotid, and. several of the lymphalic !
glands. Two days afterwards, the throat, palate,
and mucous membrane were of dark purple col ,
or and the glands of the neck were very much in
famed, tongue covered with dark brown coat,
swollen at the back part and protruded with great
voice hoarse, noslrils very much swol-
len, and respiration through them impeded. On
The following day phlegmenous erysipelas was
observed in the left side of the face having made
its 6rst appearance on the nose, which as well as
The upper lip, was very much swollen. Tongue
dry and brown, swollen and almost immoveable,
the palate and whole inside Of the mouth very
much inflamed, and OF deep purple color; throat
covered with small vesicles. Next day the erysi-
pas had spread over the whole face, and on the
following, over the sides and top of the head
This person recovered. Pneumonia accompany
ing the disease is also mentioned by Or. Sutton.
He points out its connection with pueTperal fever
(chdbed feye( rather the fact of this latter be-
ing one Of the modes of attack. It attacks, he
tells us, tfthe mucous membrane Of the respiratory
passages, the tongue; the glands Of the throat
he skin in the form of erysipelas; The lungs and
The thoracc viscera the uterus and its appendares
producing puerperal fever as this last disease has
also accompanied this epidemic This disease in !
every variety, has had a tendency to assume ty-
phoid grade of fever. after it had continued few
lays" Bells E Stokes Practice of Physic.s.
"In the northern parts of New England, a SINH
ar disease Epidemic ErysipeIas prevailed in the
years 1928. 1t has been described by Doctors
Charles Hall and George J, Dexter, in Am Jour
of Med. Science, and by Or. J. A. Allen, in Boston
Med and Surg. jour- Its connection With puerpe-
raj peritonitis is much dwelt on by Drs. Hall and
Dexter" q. vs.as Bells E Stokes Practice.
.ss The relations Of Erysipelas TO difuse infiani-
nation of rhe mucous membranes, include the [
epidemic form Of the disease. "The same form .
(erysipelatous) of inflammation is often atIhe
same time aud in the same persons, to affect the
mucous membranes Of the nose, mouth, throat and
larynz or even to spread from the face inwards to
these parts, or vice versa. DR.. ALLtSo7I.
e In nearly ell fatal cases Of erysipeas lesion
of some internal organ has occurred, and ought to
be regarded as the chief or at least the immediate
cause Of death. OF this nature are alterations of