SCARLET FEVER. Synonyms.—Scarlatina; Scarlet Rash. Definition ...

force of the poison, we' find warty excrescences, producing endocarditis.
Deposits may also take place on the valves.
The respiratory tract is also invaded by this foe of the human race, the
nose in rare cases showing the characteristic deposit. The larynx, as well
as the trachea and bronchi, are occasionally involved. The lungs prove
no exception to the general rule, the deposits usually selecting the
middle and lower lobes rather than the apices, as in tuberculosis.
Testicles.—The gummatous deposits frequently select the testes as a
fruitful soil for a display of their action, forming indurated masses in the
body of the organ. The gland is swollen and enlarged, though but little
painful. There is but little tendency to degeneration. The location of the
deposit enables one to recognize it from tuberculosis, which seeks the
epididymis as a nesting-place.
Congenital Syphilis.—The same conditions, expressed by similar
symptoms, are to be found in congenital as well as in acquired syphilis,
with the exception of the initial lesion, the chancre. The disease may
show its characteristics while yet in utero, at birth, a few weeks later, or
at puberty. The lesion will be considered in this order.
In Utero.—That the fetus feels the force of the virus while yet in utero,
and shares in its destructive powder, is seen in frequent abortions and
the presence at birth, or a few days later, of bullæ on the hands and
feet, pemphigus neonatorum.
There are changes that take place in the viscera, and, though rare, are
corroborated by such men as Gubler, Rochenbrome, Barensprung, and
others. Hutchinson says: “Of these, a parenchymatous infiltration—
fibroplastic—of the liver, for the most part without large gummata, is
the most common. It is sometimes attended by anasarca, and similar
lesions occur in the lung. If not actually present at birth, it may develop
soon afterwards, and may then lead to jaundice and death.
Infiltrations of the same kind may be found also in the spleen, tlie
kidneys, the thymus gland, and even in the heart. Occasionally larger
and more circumscribed deposits are found, and sometimes softening
occurs and abscesses form. These pathological processes occur chiefly
during the later period of intra-uterine life, and are no doubt
responsible for the majority of cases being born dead at, or near, full
time. They may also occur during the first few weeks of life. At this age
The Eclectic Practice of Medicine - PART I - Infectious Diseases - Page 222