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Patient 86/36
Patient 86/36 had been admitted to Newcastle Children's Hospital with tuberculous disease in the right hand which spread to the left hand and feet. He spent approximately nine months in hospital before being discharged. A year later he was admitted to Stannington with:
"Multiple discharging sinuses R. 3rd & 4th fingers, R. elbow, L. metacarpals, bilateral metatarsals & calves. Swelling L. elbow. Spots & scars on body chiefly gluteal region and groin. Discharge L. ear."
Most of the cutaneous lesions that are recorded in the medical notes for this patient can be linked with tuberculous infection in underlying structures, in this instance the bones. The x-ray report notes confirm this stating:
"Disease in upper end of ulna with cavity formation. Left hand - extensive disease of index & 2nd metacarpals. Right hand - disease in 1st phalanx of 5th & 2nd phalanx of 4th fingers. Right Foot 4th metatarsal diseased. Left Foot 5th metatarsal diseased & cavity in os-calcis."
Throughout his sanatorium stay this patient made good progress and notes regularly refer to him showing improvement, even when the skin lesions are considered still active. However, no treatment is alluded to and we therefore have no indication of whether it was the result of specialised treatment that aided in such rapid improvement.
Improvement continued and by December 1940 the lesions were showing signs of healing. By May 1941, underlying bone disease was thought to be quiescent in the hands, feet and elbow and the skin lesions were fully healed. He was discharged as quiescent on 16th May 1941 after 58 weeks in Stannington.
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