CEREBRO-SPINAL MENINGITIS

Categories: Infectious Diseases

This is an acute infectious disease. It comes
in epidemics, when there are many cases, or appears here and there as a

separate case (sporadic). It is caused by a specific organism (germ) and

the disease attacks the membranes of the brain and spinal cord.



Of late years great progress has been made by patient investigation, and a

serum is now prepared for the treatment of this disease. The results of

this treatmen are better than the treatments formerly used, and there is

good reason to believe that in a few years this treatment will be as

effective in this disease as antitoxin is in diphtheria.



Cause. Young adults and children are affected most often. Bad

surroundings and over-exertion are predisposing factors.



Conditions. There is congestion of the membranes of the brain and spinal

cord which are covered with an exudate confined on the brain, chiefly to

the base.



Symptoms. Ordinary Form. Incubation is of unknown length and occasionally

marked by want of appetite, headache, and pain in the back. The invasion

is usually sudden, chill, projectile vomiting, throwing forward, severe

headache, pain and rigidity of the back of the neck, pain in various parts

of the body, skin over-sensitive, irritable, and temperature about 102

degrees, with all symptoms of an active fever. Later, pains are very

severe, especially in the head, neck and back; the head is drawn back;

often the back is rigid; the muscles of the neck and back are tender and

attempts to stretch them cause intense pain. The vomiting now is less

prominent. Temperature is extremely irregular, 99 to 105 degrees or more.

Pulse is slow, often 50 to 60, and full and strong at first. The delirium

is of a severe and variable type in common, alternating with partial or

complete coma, the latter predominating toward the close of fatal attacks.

Stimulation of nerve centers causes cross-eyed look, drooping of upper

eyelid, movement of eyeballs unequal, contracted, dilated, or sluggish

pupils; acute and painful hearing, spasmodic contractions of the muscles

followed by paralysis of the face muscles, etc. The disease may last

several hours or several months. Many die within five days. In fatal cases

the patient passes into seemingly deep sleep with symptoms of a very

prostrating and weakening fever, and often retention of urine. Mild cases

occur with only a little fever, headache, stiff muscles of the neck,

discomfort in back and extremities. The malignant type occurs epidemically

or sporadically.







Malignant type. Sudden invasion with severe chills, slight rise in

temperature, pain in the back of the neck, headaches, stupor, muscular

spasms, a slow pulse, often purple bleeding, eruption, coma and death

within hours, rather than days. This is a terrible disease, and a

physician is needed from the first. The death rate varies from twenty to

seventy-live per cent. Treatment must be given by a physician. Spinal

meningitis is inflammation of the membrane of the spinal cord along with

the accompanying back and extremity symptoms, while the head remains clear

and free from complications.