An essay on clinical instruction / by E.Ch.A. Louis ; Translated by Peter Martin.

  • Pierre Charles Alexandre Louis
Date:
1834
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on clinical instruction / by E.Ch.A. Louis ; Translated by Peter Martin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    13/42 page 7
    wliicli our previous investigations have rendered more easy, we come to the study of the symptoms. These must be studied successively, one by one_, in the order of their development, from their appearance to the moment at which the patient is submitted to our observa- tion ; and from this moment to the termination of the mala- dy : the precise epoch of the appearance of each must be enquired into; without which we might, following the ex- ample of more than one author, be induced to consider as primitive, symptoms which are only secondary, and con- sequently to deceive ourselves with regard to the true character of the affection. Forgetfulness of this essential point would prevent us from having a clear idea of many phenomena; among others, of those which -are called critical: and these im- perfect observations would not contribute to the progress of science, at least in this .respect. Besides, as it is only by the study of the functions tha:f, it is possible to discover the organ or organs affected; to ascertain whether at the commencement of any disease there is a lesion of any organ ; or if, on the contrary, there exists in some cases, a general state of disease, which can- not be referred to the alteration (I mean the appreciable alteration) of any organ in particular: evidently, unless we interrogate all the functions, we shall have an incom- plete, and often a false history of the disease which we wish to investigate. To obtain an exact history of the symptoms, in the sense and according to the manner just pointed out, is of the greatest importance ; for if it is obtained in an incomplete manner, we cannot form with precision either our diagno- sis or our prognosis ; in the last especially we can make no progress, since the application of any method of treat- ment whatever, presupposes especially the exact determi- nation of the cases in which it has been employed with ►success, or a great precision in the diagnosis. In fact.
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image