Antarctic Journals of Reginald Skelton by Reginald William Skelton

Gourdon later developed some oedema and Charcot noted how this disease had only affected the officers and not the crew although later Chollet fell ‘a victim in his turn, but to a much more ordinary form of scurvy. However three months later, both had developed some evidence of scurvy in the form of purpuric spots.

Charcot diagnosed himself as having ‘pronounced myocarditis’ (Charcot 1978: 199). On the Pourquoi Pas? expedition (1908–1910), there were similar problems in R. Gourdon also says that Charcot, had similar problems (Gourdon 1913: 82) but Charcot himself does not mention that he was ill. Gourdon who wrote a doctoral thesis on medical aspects of the expedition (Gourdon 1913). The most detailed description of this illness is given by E. He did not improve with the introduction of fresh meat. Matha: ‘the oedema in his legs was serious, and examination of his heart and circulation left me in no doubt that the diagnosis had to be inflammation of the cardiac muscles’ (Charcot 2004: 119). On the Français expedition (1903–1905), Charcot writes of A. The situation was also complicated by psychiatric illness.Ī similar illness occurred in both of J.-B.E.A. In addition there were other symptoms including indigestion and gastrointestinal symptoms. In one case it was, yesterday, 43, today it is 98 but the man complains of nothing’ (Cook 1980: 291).Įlsewhere he writes: ‘The heart is unsteady, easily disturbed, and mitral murmurs, which I have not heard before, are audible. . .the breathing is often difficult, the blood retreats from the skin, but the larger veins are abnormally full’ (Cook 1980: 306–307). Now it is full, regular and vigorous again it is soft, intermittent and feeble. The usual pulse, too, is extremely changeable from day to day. The observers going only one hundred yards to the observatories come in almost breathless after their short run. If we walk hurriedly around the ship the pulse rises to 110 beats, and if we continue for fifteen minutes it intermits, and there is also some difficulty in respiration.

Indeed this organ responds to the slightest stimulation in an alarming manner. The heart action is failing in force and is decidedly irregular. The hair grows rapidly, and the skin about the nails has a tendency to creep over them, seemingly to protect them from the cold. We are pale, and the skin is unusually oily. All seem puffy about the eyes and ankles and the muscles, which were hard earlier are now soft, though not reduced in size.

‘Physically we are steadily losing strength though our weight remains nearly the same, with a slight increase in some. Danco died and most of the crew was affected to a greater or lesser extent.

Antarctic Journals of Reginald Skelton by Reginald William Skelton