Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The works of John Hunter / edited by James F. Palmer. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
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![In all inflammatory dispositions in tlie solids, whether universal or local, the blood has an increased disposition to separate into its com- ponent parts, the red globules become less uniformly diffused, and their attraction to one another becomes stronger, so that the blood when out of the vessels soon becomes cloudy or muddy, and dusky in its colour, and when spread over any surface it appears mottled, the red blood at- tracting itself and forming spots of red. This is so evident in many cases that it is hardly necessary to wait till the whole coagulates to form a judgment of it. I think I can say when the blood is coming from the vessel, by its appearance in the stream, whether it will be sizy or not. When the blood has not an inflammatory disposition the stream has a degree of uniformity and transparency in its appearance : hut it is only an eye accustomed to it that can make this distinction. If the inflammatory disposition of the solids arises from fever, this disposition in the blood is universal. If there is universal inflammatory disposition, from some local irritation, the blood is still universally af- fected. But if the inflammation is local, and the constitution is not affected, the disposition in the blood is not universal: how far there is local inflammatory disposition of the blood I do not know, but there is reason, however, to suspect it, from the ready union of parts under in- flammation. If the blood does become inflamed in passing through an inflamed part, we must suppose that it immediately loses that dispo- sition when it meets with parts in perfect health*. These properties, namely, increased disposition to separate, and a disposition to become a firmer solid, always show increased disposition for action in the living principle, and also, most probably, increased power. It is one of the signs of strength of the living powers, although the materials for action are weak. The use of this change in the blood is evident, since it is made fitter for uniting parts by this means; and it is from this disposition that the blood retains its living principle sufficiently long till union takes place. * [That the blood undergoes peculiar changes, losing its globular character, its transparency, and the vividness of its colour, as well as its motion, in the vessels of in- flamed parts, is evident, from the observations ofLevret, Kaltenbrunner, Dollinger, and others, who have microscopically investigated this subject. These changes are most likely due to the influence of the vessels upon their contents; but to suppose that the blood itself can be the subject of inflammation, is to suppose it endowed not only with life and or- ganization, but with life and organization of a high degree, for from the best observa- tions which have been made it does not seem probable that those animals which are lowest in the zoological scale are capable of inflammatory action. Certainly we can form no definite idea of inflammation, except as connected with vascular and organized parts, although, from what is said further on, Hunter did not carry his ideas of the blood to that extent.]](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21996623_0001_0265.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
