The duration of the latent period, the fever, and the infectiveness of the exanthemata, and some allied diseases / by Francis Vacher.

  • Vacher, Francis, 1843-1914.
Date:
1884
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The duration of the latent period, the fever, and the infectiveness of the exanthemata, and some allied diseases / by Francis Vacher. 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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    the gentleman coming to see his servant caught the disease from him. In both master and servant the disease showed itself just seven days after they had come near the infecting patient. In another case the evidence is even more explicit— that of Dr. Elliotson, who caught the disease five days after the breath from one of his patients had come in his face. I think the normal time from inception to the beginning of the cutaneous eruption may be put at five days, the range being from 2 to 14 days. The length of the invasion stage I put at one day. From the beginning of the inflammation to the abatement of the fever I reckon two weeks, aud from that till infectiousness ceases three weeks longer. This may appear a long time, but when the whole face and much of the scalp is affected, the desquamation is tedious. Moreover there is commonly an inflamed sore throat, which until cured must be held to indicate continuing infectiousness. The third and last group of diseases to be discussed includes typhus fever, typhoid fever, and mumps. Ttphus Fever.—There is probably no febrile disease on which there is a greater abundance of testimony as to the duration of the period of incubation ; there is assuredly none in which a wider range is allowed. Haygarth makes the latent period from five days to two months, Bancroft from one day to five or six months, Barker and Cheyne from a few minutes to six weeks, Dr. Copland from three to 14 days, Dr. Peacock from 10 to 21 days, Barrallier 12 to 15 days, Dr. Tanner one to 12 days, Dr. Bristowe five to twenty- one days, or even more. There is good evidence on this matter published in a memoir in 1871, by Dr. Murchison. Some particulars are given of 31 cases. In 17 out of these, 12 days was within the known limit, in one it was not less than 21 days, and in two there was no latent period, or ono only of a few hours. From the commencement of tho indisposi- tion to the appearance of the eruption is usually about a week ; thus from inception to the beginning of the erup- tion may be counted 19 days, the range being from a few hours to 28 days. In 14 days from the beginning of the fever, or seven days from the first appearance of the eruption, the formidable symptoms subside, and the temperature is normal ; and ten days or a fortnight afterwards the patient is fit to be discharged, convalescent and free from infection. I may here remark, that as the clothes of typhus patients are exceedingly difficult to disinfect, so as to make them absolutely safe, it is well if practicable to destroy them.