The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-08-20
Doctors Lingo.

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 acquainted4 This is evidenced
by their conversation in front of the bull
.letin-boards, and by occasional notes Of
inquiry, "What is tympanitis?" "What
is peritonitis?" SHOW do the doctors
find out his temperature?'' and 80 on.
1t will serve a popular purpose to ex-
plain some of these matters. The mid
night bulletin between Sunday, July 81
and July 4 said: "Some tyn1panitis is
recognized" This caused greatuneasi.
ness to the doctors. The meaning of it
was that the abdomen of the patient was
swelling up like . drum, the swelling
being due to an, accumulation of air or
gases in the intestinal tube or else in the
peritoneum, and this is considered a
very unfavorable sign in injuries like
those of the President. The tympanitis,
happily, did not last long enough and
was not sufficiently great to cause OK.
IRENE danger. The word comes from
tympan, drum-and the swelling from
initiation is variously called "tympauy,"
"wind-dropsy," and "drum-belly."
Peritonitis,'' which the doctors
feared also, is an Inflammation of the
peritoneum, membrane that envelops
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-around and to
stretch; peritoneum, therefore, mean.
ing in this instance a 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 a sick or wounded
person indicates the presence or 40
sence of the inilammatory condition
and in cases like this is watched will
great solicitude. The temperature il
ascertained by placing the bulb OF
small thermometer, specially adapted
to the purpose, in the mouth OF the pa
tent, or sometimes under the armplt
The average natural heat Of the humal
body in q good condition Of health !
, 98.5 deg. Of Fahrenheit's scale: It ]
usually marked on our thermometer a
"blood heat" at 9Si deg! 1p very in
famed conditions the temperature Q
patients has been observed to rise a
high as 10S deg, in children and ~
: deg. in adults. ! Anything ,aboNs 10
!. deg. to 1O5 deg. is regarded as yer
!. serious by physicians. The President
. temperature has risen several times I
IS 1919 deg, or nearly 3.5 above til
normal or natural. In Asiatic choier'
4 the temperature sometimes sinks as 10
: Is II deg, when even the breath OF tt
70 patient feels cold. 'Np"f 5 .a'Ii-
; The fluctuations of the pulse a
=, noted carefully in the daily bulletin
> In good health, and whom the"boe
q. Is quiet, the natural beats of tt
: pulse of an adult male are about 6O
1; 70 q minute. There are considerab
differences, however, even in bealtt
~ persons, according to the. comparati'
y Quiet or activity Of the body, and whet
or standing, sitting, or lying dow
- There are differences, too, at differe
n periods of the day, the greatest freque
~ cy of the pulse-beats occurring about t
y middle OF the day, and the least abo
" midnight. All other things being equ'
Il. the pulse is quicker in the morning tn
in the evening. In conditions OF pr
found coma (morbid Sleep or lethar'
= the pulse-beats have dropped as low
~ II in minute, and they have mount
- no to as high as 200 in children atllict
- with water on the brain. Since his
-. iury, the Presidents pulse has tluctuat
- from "a beats in minute to 126. II
81 Hast is about twice as frequent as |
~ pulse-beats in a state Of health and II
10 quiet, recumbent position. = q.
W. Frequency Of stespiration's b u
q, wise a feature of the bulletins. Sill
" he was wounded his respiration ]
- ranged from 10 toi24 breathingta n
w. ute, In health, and when free from
10 exciting cause, the number 81 hrs,
d0 inps per minute is IA to IS; but in 9
vs. ditions of disease it sometimes falls
,ro low as Z breaths . minute and rises
to thigh IS 100. 80,
Of course, many people underst'
i'm all about what is printed in the tore
' inc remarks, but there are some who
al not. and Others who did know and b
'oN forgotten. It will do no harm to an,
~, them, even those BEST Informed; %
~ over the matter again -P4gee444!ll
was Ledger.