The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-08-12
Doctors Lingo.

Some readers of the bulletins from the
White House are finding technical terms
somewhat new to them, and also the
details Of medical processes relating to
symptoms with which they are but i'm
perfectly acquainted. This is evidenced
by their conversation in front of the bull
letin-boayds. and by occasional notes of
inquiry, "What is tympanitis?" .'What
is peritonitis?'' elbow do the doctors
find out his temperature?" and so on.
1t will serve popular purpose to ex-
plain some of these matters. The mid
night bulletin between Sunday, July 8,
and July 4 said: 'sSome tympanitis is
recognized This caused great uneasi.
ness to the doctors. The meaning of it
was that the abdomen of the patient was
swelling up like q drum, the swelling
being due to an accumulation of air or
gases in the intestinal tube or elsein tho
peritOneum, and this is considered .
very unfav0rable sign in injuries like
those of the President. The tympanitis,
happily, did not last long enough and
was not sufficiently great to cause ex-
treme danger. The word comes from
tympan. drum-and the swelling from
imitation is variously called "tympany,"
nd-dropsy," and s'drum-belly."
Peritonitis,'' which the doctors
feared also, is an Inflammation of the
peritoneum, q membrane that envelopes
the intestines and other abdominal Or
gans, and generally the interior of the
abdomen. This membrane takes its
name from two Greek words which ex-
press its meaning and to
stretch; peritoneum, therefore, mean
ing in this instance . membrane that
stretches around and about the intes-
tines. Inflammation of that membrane,
or "peritonitis," always marks dan
gerous phase of disease or injury from
wounds.
The temperature of sick or wounded
person indicates the presence or alb
sence of the infammatory condition,
and in cases like this is watched with
great solicitude. The temperature is
ascertained by placing the bulb of q
small thermometer, specially adapted
to the purpose, in the mouth of the pa
tent, or sometimes under the armpit.
The average natural heat of the human
body in a good condition of health is
98.5 deg. of Fahrenheit's scale. 1t is
usually marked on our thermometer as
"blood heat" at SO deg. In very in
famed conditions the temperature of
patients has been observed to rise as
high as 1OS deg. in children and 107
deg. in adults. Anything above 1O4
deg. to los deg. is regarded as very
serious by physicians. The Presidents
temperature has risen several times to
1919 deg, or nearly 3.5 above the
normal or natural. In Asiatic cholera,
the temperature sometimes sinks as low
as u deg, when even the breath of the
patient feels cold.
The fluctuations of the pulse are
noted carefully in the daily bulletins.
In good health, and when the body
is quiet, the natural beats of the
pulse of an adult male are about 60 or
10 q minute. There are considerable
differences, however, even in healthy
persons, according to the comparative
quiet or activity of the body, and wheth-
er standing, sitting, or lying down.
There are differences, too, at different
periods of the day, the greatest frequen-
cy of the pulse-beats occurring about the
middle of the day, and the least about
midnight. All other things being equal,
the pulse is quicker in the morning than
in the evening. In conditions of pro-
found coma (morbid sleep) or lethargy
the pulse-beats have dropped as low as
II in a minute, and they have mounted
up to as high as 200 in children afflicted
with water on the brain. Since his in
jury, the Presidents pulse has fluctuated
from "a beats in a minute to 126. This
last is about twice as frequent as the
pulse-beats in q state of health and in q
quiet, recumbent position.
Frequency of 'srespiration'' is like
wise a feature of the bulletins. Since
he was wounded his respiration has
ranged from 10 to "a breathings q min
ute. In health, and when free from any
exciting cause, the number of breath.
ings per minute is IA to 18; but in con-
ditions of disease it sometimes falls as
low as Z breaths q minute and rises as
high as 100.
Of course, many people understand
all about what is printed in the forego-
ing remarks, but there are some who do
not, and others who did know and have
forgotten. It will do no harm to any of
Them, even those best informed, to 90
over the matter STANDARDIZATION
Ledger.