Dissertation on the diseases of the maxillary sinus : read before the American Society of Dental Surgeons, at their third annual meeting, held in Boston, July 20, 1842 / by Chapin A. Harris.

  • Harris, Chapin A. (Chapin Aaron), 1806-1860.
Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dissertation on the diseases of the maxillary sinus : read before the American Society of Dental Surgeons, at their third annual meeting, held in Boston, July 20, 1842 / by Chapin A. Harris. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    The form which the disease puts on, it must be admitted, is determined by the state of the constitutional health or some speci- fic tendency of the general system, and we can therefore readily imagine, that a cause which in one person, would give rise only to simple inflammation of the lining membrane, or a mucous engorgement of the sinus, would in another, produce an ill condi- tioned ulcer, fungus hsematodes or asteo-sarcoma. But simple inflammation and mucous engorgement of this cavity, not unfre- quently cause caries and exfoliations of its surrounding osseous tissues, and as a consequence in some instances, even the destruc- tion of the life of the patient. The importance then of early attention to the diseases of this cavity, is very apparent, and this is the more necessary as it is often difficult and sometimes even impossible to determine the character of the malady, until it has progressed so far as to have involved, to a greater or less extent, the neighbouring parts; when, if it has not become incurable, its removal is, at least, ren- dered more tedious and less easy of accomplishment. It may therefore, be safely assumed, that in a very large majority of the cases of disease of the maxillary sinus, the danger to be appre- hended, results more from neglect, than any necessarily fatal character of the malady, so that in forming a prognosis, the cir- cumstances to be considered, should be, the state of the constitu- tional health, the progress made by the affection, and the nature and extent of the injury inflicted by it upon the surrounding tissues. If the general health be not so much impaired as to prevent its restoration by the employment of proper remedies, and the dis- ease has not inflicted extensive and irreparable injury upon the neighbouring structures, the prognosis will be favourable; but if