An experimental and clinical inquiry into the etiology and distinctive peculiarities of traumatic fever / by B.A. Watson.

  • Watson, B. A. (Beriah André), 1836-1892.
Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An experimental and clinical inquiry into the etiology and distinctive peculiarities of traumatic fever / by B.A. Watson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    mouth, while the other was in the rectum. It should be men- tioned that the severity of the shock varied considerably, how- ever none of the animals were able to run or even walk well after receiving their. allotment, and one was observed to lie on his side, where he had been placed, more than five minutes, gasping at long intervals before he was able to raise his head, lhe le- sult of this experiment may be summed up as follows : Nineteen rabbits employed; average temperature before shock 102.8 ; average temperature within twro hours 102.8°; average tempe- rature within eighteen hours 102.8° ; and the average tempera- ture within thirty hours 102.8°. It may now be stated that the result of this experiment, so far as the production ot any reac- tionary fever by shock is concerned, demonstrates a negative. The next experiment which we will report consisted in frac- turing: the right leg of twenty rabbits. This was done without producing a single compound fracture. The temperature de- tails are as follows: average temperature before the fracture, 102.6°; average temperature two hours afterwards, 102.6°; subse- quent daily average temperature: first 102.6°,second 102.6°, third 103.1°, fourth 103.1°, sixth 103°, eighth 103.1°, tenth 102.8°, twelfth 103°, fifteenth, 102.8°, seventeenth 103.2°, nineteenth 103°, twenty-second 103°. It is shown by the above figures that the highest average temperature occurred on the seven- teenth day. The temperature on this day wTas found to be six- . tenths of a degree higher than that recorded immediately before the fractures were produced. A small number of the fractures which were originally simple became compound during the period that the rabbits were under observation. As soon as any wound was discovered on the rabbits, whether in connection with the fracture or elsewhere, the temperature was no longer recorded, since it was our object here to avoid all septic compli- cations. On the twenty-second day after the fractures were pro- duced, there was found to be pretty firm union. In the final experiment ten rabbits were employed, and the operation consisted in injecting into each, beneath the integu- ment in the lateral lumbar region, one-half ounce of arterial blood. This blood in one instance only was taken from one rabbit and injected into another; but in nine cases the blood was obtained from a dog. We regarded it as very desirable to accomplish this part of the operation with the least possible ex- posure to the air, and at the same time to preserve essentially