"Pyrexia"

[Kathie]

Roy Hill was injured at Delville Wood, sent to hospital and went back to the front line. Later on his card refers to him having "Pyrexia". By this time he had been promoted fromt the ranks to 2nd/Lt. What is Pyrexia??

If it is shellshock or similar what else did the authroities call it?

He was then given a lot of leave - so much so that he was allowed to come back to SA - at his own expense - spend some time on the farm - go back to the UK - then to France and was killed in Battle for Cambrai in October 1918.

Information welcomed.

Thanks

Kathei

[Michelle Young]

Hi Kathie

A pyrexia is a raised temperature.

Sometimes you will see PUO which is pyrexia of unknown origin.

Regards, Michelle

[andigger]

What is Pyrexia??

Using your flame thrower backwards?

Sorry... but it was meant in good fun.

Andy

[Simon Furnell]

Hello Kathy.

There was a thread on Pyrexia a while ago,with a pretty good explanation about it.

It was a raised temperature from what i remember.

Perhaps he had Trench Fever.

I think you can search for the original thread on Pyrexia,somewhere above.

All the best.

Simon.

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

If it is shellshock or similar what else did the authroities call it?

Shellshock was officially "Neurasthenia"

[Kathie]

Thanks so much. Ill hunt up the thread.

Kathie

[Kathie]

Ive looked for threads. I could only find one on GSW started in 2002 which ended with a comment that PUO stands for pyrexia of unknonw origin. Nothing else.

So, brings me back. If its a high temperature - is it consdiered serioous, what casues, why even mention it. If its a fever would it cover a multitude of quite serious illnesses - infections of wounds to some dread disease??

Anything more

Kathie

[Paul Nixon]

I'm no medical doctor but others on the forum are. To the best of my knowledge, PUO was trench fever, brought about by lice.

Paul

[Paul Reed]

The fact that it was 'Unknown Origin' means just that; medical terms are normally specific, not vague. Lice may have been a cause, but not necessarily the only one.

Michelle is a nurse by the way (see her posting above).

[jhill]

One of the previous threads is here:

http://1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?showt...6536&hl=pyrexia

As an afternote, I have run across a number of references to the dissatisfaction of higher authorities with the large numbers of indefinite diagnoses such as "P.U.O." or "N.Y.D.". There was continual pressure on medical officers not to use these terms if there was a more definite option.

[Robert Dunlop]

As has been mentioned, pyrexia just means high temperature. It comes from the Greek word puretos, which means fever. Pur means fire.

Pyrexia of Unknown Origin (PUO - also known as Fever of Unknown Origin) is a very specific situation. The definition varies somewhat but the basics are the same. Here is one definition from 1961:

a) Pyrexia of more than 38.3 degrees Celsius (101 F) on several occasions (ie recurrent pyrexias)

Duration of fevers more than 3 weeks (ie fever has been present for quite a while)

c) Failure to reach a diagnosis (of the cause of the fever) despite one week of in-hospital investigations (ie the cause of the fever is not clear)

Robert

[Robert Dunlop]

Sorry, wasn't trying to be cool about the middle point. 'b' followed by an end-bracket didn't quite come out as expected.

(this icon is deliberate)

Robert

[DrB]

The classic signs of inflammation are "calor, dolar, rubor, tumor, or, translated from the Latin: "heat, pain, redness, swelling"

A deep cut on your hand will elicit the above, in a mild state. It is the bodies defence against injury and is a normal response to injury. This is an attempt by the body to take care of itself without medications.

The raised temperature can be a sign of outward injury or inner infection which is not apparent and must be discovered by a careful and questioning of symptoms.

There are countless cases of "pyrexia" (an antiquated term) or fever recorded for literally thousands of injuries or illnesses.

A "Fever of Undetermined Origin" or FUO is sometimes a scary thing. I saw and treated countless cases of it in 'Nam. There were so many off-the-wall bugs over there and diagnosis at the Battalion Aid Station was difficult to say the least.

Our treatment of choice was usually ASA, strip the patient naked, douse them with ice and alcohol (the non-potable kind) and pray.

FUO's could be a sign of lice infection which has become systemic and is undiagnosed. Or, it could be from thousands of other things as well. Sometimes diagnosable, sometimes just a shoulder shrug and a pallative treatment.

A high fever in adults, 103-105 for a sustained period of time, several hours, is dangerous and can lead to permanent brain damage or death.

I have seen that as well. Not pleasant.

DrB

[Guest Frillidan]

Hi, Kathie -

I just recently came across a passage on "pyraxis" in Patrick MacGill's book "The Red Horizon," some of which you may or may not find useful:

'The case was really serious since Bill could not smoke, a smokeless hour was for him a Purgatorial period, his favourite friend was his fag. After tea I went with him to the dressing station, and Ted Vittle of Section 4 accompanied us. Ted's tummy was also out of order and his head was spinning like a top. The men's equipment was carried out, men going sick from the trenches to the dressing-station at the rear carry their rifles and all portable property in case they are sent off to hospital. The sick soldier's stuff always goes to hospital with him.

I stood outside the door of the dressing-station while the two men were in with the M.O. "What's wrong, Bill?" I asked when he came out.

"My tempratoor's an 'undred and nine," said my comrade.

"A hundred and what?" I ejaculated.

"'Undred point nine 'is was," said Ted Vittle. "Mine's a 'undred point eight. The Twentieth 'as 'ad lots of men gone off to 'orsp to-day sufferin' from the same thing. Pyraxis the M.O. calls it. Trench fever is the right name."

"Right?" interrogated Bill.

"Well it's a name we can understand," said Ted.

"Are you going back to the trenches again?" I asked.

"We're to sleep 'ere to-night in the cellar under the dressin'-station," they told me. "In the mornin' we're to report to the doctor again. 'E's a bloke 'e is, that doctor. 'E says we're to take nothing but heggs and milk and the milk must be boiled." (The Red Horizon, Caliban Books, pp. 271-73; originally published 1916.)

And after Bill comes back from hospital:

"What sort of disease is Pyraxis?" asked Goliath.

"It's not 'arf bad, if you've got it bad, and it's not good when you've it only 'arf bad," said Bill, adding, "I mean that if I 'ad it bad I would get off to blighty, but my case was only a light one, not so bad as Ted Vittle. 'E's not back yet, maybe it's a trip across the Channel for 'im. 'E was real bad when 'e walked down with me to Mazingarbe. I was rotten too, couldn't smoke. It was sit down and rest for fifteen minutes then walk for five. Mazingarbe is only a mile and an 'arf from the dressing-station and it took us three hours to get down; from there we took the motor-ambulance to the clearing hospital. There was a 'ot bath there and we were put to bed in a big 'ouse, blankets, plenty of them and a good bed. 'Twas a grand place to kip in. Bad as I was, I noticed that." (p. 274)

Hope that helps, or that you at least find it interesting.

[Kathie]

Thank you so much for all that info. I did find the thread and that was a great help. Amazing that Roy Hill could get leave back to SA for pyrexia - even worse that he then came back in time to be killed. Thanks

Kathie

[Robert Dunlop]

Some forms of illness associated with fever will leave you feeling utterly exhausted for a prolonged period. I was just reading Ludendorff's 'Own Story' today and he remarked on how the influenza of 1918 would leave his soldiers very weak even though they 'recovered'. The more spectacular the fever and the associated signs of illness, the more likely a doctor would regard the post-febrile weakness as 'real' and worthy of a period of recuperation.

Robert