The medical diseases of children . aprophylactic. The Diagnosis can as a rule be made without difficulty duringan epidemic ; but the only conclusive proof is the recovery of themeningococcus from the cerebrospinal fluid. The Prognosis in a case of any severity is extremely bad ; but, as 202 INFECTIVE DISEASES has been mentioned, the slight abortive cases recover. With theuse of Flexners serum the death-rate of the disease has been muchdiminished. Treatment.—For the pain and convulsive movements, chloral infull doses should be given; but morphia is better withheld unlessabsolutely necessary. Ph
The medical diseases of children . aprophylactic. The Diagnosis can as a rule be made without difficulty duringan epidemic ; but the only conclusive proof is the recovery of themeningococcus from the cerebrospinal fluid. The Prognosis in a case of any severity is extremely bad ; but, as 202 INFECTIVE DISEASES has been mentioned, the slight abortive cases recover. With theuse of Flexners serum the death-rate of the disease has been muchdiminished. Treatment.—For the pain and convulsive movements, chloral infull doses should be given; but morphia is better withheld unlessabsolutely necessary. Phenacetin may be of use. Hot baths formprobably the most effectual sedative measure. In the treatment on antibacterial lines we cannot, perhaps, hopefor very good results from vaccine inoculations in a disease so virulentand rapid in its course. Flexners serum, given in large doses by intra-spinal injection, appears of undoubted benefit, and will almost certainlvin the future be the line of treatment adopted. Other sera have been. Fig. 46.—Epidemic Meningococcal INIenixgitis : Purpuric Rash. prepared, but do not seem to have any very marked action. Flexnersserum can be obtained from many hospitals, but is at present not veton the market. The subcutaneous injection of the patients own cerebrospinalfluid may cause an alleviation of the symptoms. The organism doesnot grow in the subcutaneous tissues, consequently this form of treat-ment is analogous to that by a vaccine, except that an unknownnumber of organisms is given in this method. Now that vaccines canbe so quickly prepared from the patients organism, the chief advantageof the use of the cerebrospinal fluid subcutaneously hardly compen-sates for the possible danger of over-dosage. Injections of 5 cc. of thecerebrospinal fluid are recommended to be repeated at intervals oftwo or three days. ARTHRITIS. Arthritis is occasionally met with in meningococcal meningitisof cither type, and may possibly arise as a primary condition
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectpediatrics, bookyear1
