MEDICAL JOURNALS REVIEW ILLNESS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18643, 21 December 1928, Page 10

MEDICAL JOURNALS REVIEW ILLNESS.

DANGEROUS FEATURES OF ILLNESS SURMOUNTED

(Received December 21, 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, December 20.

An authoritative survey, dated 8 p.m. last night from Buckingham Palace, and issued to medical professors through the medical journals reviewing the progress of the King’s illness, says: “In the first phase of general infection with imperfect localisation there was little or no cough and only one small patch of pleurisy friction (a blood culture showed positive streptococcus) an irritative state of the nervous system which produced profound distress and a sense of illness. Yet with this there was the wish, born of quiet courage, to make light of the illness and to hold on to work, thus adding to the wear and tear of the fever. Towards the end of this first phase came accentuation of the pleuritic friction, which extended to the diaphragm. The second phase was one of increasing toxaemia, dry cracked tongue, periods of delirium and exhaustion. In short, a clinical picture resembling that of a case of severe typhoid fever in the third and fourth week, but with the added anxiety of attacks of dyspepsia and cyanosis, due to the strain on the heart. With the next phase came abatement of the fever and some evidence of localisation in the right lung. This did not result at this stage in effusion as shown by the puncture and excellent radiographs. A few days later the temperature rose rather abruptly to a higher level, and on December 12 there was evidence at the extreme right base of an effusion, which had commenced between the lung and diaphragm. Drainage by means of rib resection was performed on the same day under a general anaesthesia of gas and oxygen. The prominent organism in the empyema has now been established to be identical with the streptococcus found in the blood. Though the infective process has become gradually localised its severity, coupled with the lowered vitality resulting from the length of the illness, must make the progress of healing difficult and tedious. Local sloughing, however, is less pronounced to-day and tissue reaction is apparent to stimulate the vitality of the tissues. General exposure to ultraviolet rays from a mercury lamp has been made each day since December 15. There is reason to think that the ultra-violet rays had, in combination with other treatment, been beneficial. It will l>e apparent that not only the severity and length of the infection, but also the exhaustion resulting therefrom must make progress slow and difficult. At the same time, the dangerous phases of the illness have been surmounted and there are increasingly solid grounds for hoping that recovery will result from this long and anxious struggle.—British Official Wireless.