THE HEALTH OF THE PRINCE OF WALES.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 924, 8 February 1872, Page 3

THE HEALTH OF THE PRINCE OF WALES.

We rejoice to be able to announce that his Koyal Higness the Prinee of Wales is making satisfactory progress towards convalescence. To-day (Friday) is the nineteenth day of the disease, and no untoward comcomitauts show themselves a circumstance which in itself is most reassuring. We must caution the public against accepting many of the statements whieh have been made relative to the cause of the malady in the case of his Royal Highness, since the source of typhoid fever is still obscure. It wa*s imagined that his Royal Highness had contracted the disease when visiting near Scarborough, but this is doubtful. Since his Koyal Highness fell ill, one of the jrrooms at Sandringham stables who did not attend his Royal Highness to Scarborough, has sickened with the same disease, and it is notorious that typhoid is prevailing in many parts of England. Of course there will be a searching inquiry instituted into every possible source of the contagion. The early symptoms of indisposition were in his Royal Highness's case, as we stated previously, accompanied by slight inflammation at the base of the finger nail. The connection of this with the incubation of the typhoid may be accidental, but should be noted. It was earlv suspected by Mr Clayton and Dr "Lowe that there was more in the feverish symptoms than could be accounted for by the state of the finger, and we think the early recognition of the typhoid by these gentlemen was a most important circumstance, and one for which they deserve no little credit. On 13th Nov., his Royal Highness was chilly after a day's shooting; he had not indeed f'eit well on leaving homo in the morning, but there was nothing noticeable to create suspicion of typhoid fever for four drays afterwards. Then it was that headache became a prominent symptom, with other indications of typhoid, and particularly a high temperature of the body. Up to the present time the course of the illness has been characteristic of a rather severe attaclc of typhoid fevet. Everything has most happily conspired in the Prince's case to a favorable issue. We lay great stress on the fact that the disease was so accurately diagnosed at its earliest period, for it led to the adoption of a proper line of treatment at the very outset of the malady, in itself a very important point: We need not add how complete is the confidence which the profession reposes in the medical attendants of his Royal Highness, including as they do the highest English authority on the subject of typhoid fever—Sir William Jenner. As the public may be anxious to know what risk her Majesty runs in visiting the Prince of Wales, we may add it is simply nil, under, the circumstances. Typhoid fever is contagious in a very subordinate degree, and it is infinitely rare after fifty years of age. Her Majesty's short stay at Sandringham therefore exposes her practically to no risk whatever.—" Lancet."