Page:Transactions of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, volume 1.djvu/148

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or be expected. To illustrate the first of these positions, I extract a case of

Palpitation, from adhesion of the Pericardium, which occurred in my practice full twenty years ago.

Sept. 23, 1812.— I was called to visit Miss C. N. aged eight years, and found her labouring under febrile symptoms, amongst which, nausea and abdominal pain were most conspicuous, accompanied also by tenesmus. I ordered a powder of calomel and rhubarb to be taken immediately, and afterwards a saline mixture with antimony: the former produced three evacuations, and the latter was continued on that and the following day, without any very material abatement of the symptoms. On the 26th, a powder of calomel and jalap was given, which relieved all the febrile symptoms, except the coated tongue, which was accompanied with a slight cough, for which some syrup of tolu was added to the saline mixture; and on the 27th she was better, but evinced great restlessness, and general irritation of both body and mind, with picking of her nose. More purging was therefore directed, and with such good effect, that on the 28th she was considered convalescent. On the 30th, debility alone seemed to remain, though I fancied there was some peculiarity in respiration, and having still a slight cough, she took a mixture of decoction of bark, oxymel of squills, and camphorated tincture of opium; and on the 2nd of October she appeared well, except the cough, when, for the first time, I observed a more than healthy palpitation of the heart, which her mother informed me she had always observed when her daughter was in any way out of