The Etiology and Haematology of Obscure Fever: A Contribution to the Diagnosis of the Causes of Pyrexia of Unknown Origin

Gorfinkel, Max (1947) The Etiology and Haematology of Obscure Fever: A Contribution to the Diagnosis of the Causes of Pyrexia of Unknown Origin. MD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

1. The first requirement for the diagnosis of the cause of an obscure fever is a high degree of alertness to the possibilities to be considered. Failure to diagnose the cause is more often due to failure to think of it than to any other single factor. 2. A classified list is submitted as a comprehensive practical guide to the possibilities to be considered in the differential diagnosis of a given case of fever which either continues past the 10th day or recurs in cycles of variable duration without the emergence of localizing symptomatology. 3. Evidence is adduced to show that each of the disease entities listed is a potential cause of obscure fever. 4. The second requirement in the elucidation of the cause of an obscure fever is to find a starting point for breaking up this large field of possibilities into a series of smaller groups for differential diagnosis. 5. From a detailed study of the peripheral blood responses of the 51 affections presenting with obscure fever the thesis is propounded that the serial haemogram constitutes an eminently satisfactory basis for such a diagnostic classification. 6. A haematological classification has been worked out founded on serial haemography. 7. A ease study is appended to illustrate the main theme of this thesis, namely, the value of the haematological approach in the etiological diagnosis of "Pyrexia of Undetermined Origin. ".

• Item Type: Thesis (MD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Medicine
• Date of Award: 1947
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1947-79649
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 04 Mar 2020 16:17
• Last Modified: 04 Mar 2020 16:17
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/79649