Gout and rheumatism in relation to disease of the heart / by A.W. Barclay.

  • Barclay, A. W. (Andrew Whyte), 1817-1884.
Date:
1866
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Gout and rheumatism in relation to disease of the heart / by A.W. Barclay. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

    100/240 (page 80)
    CHAPTEE IV. TREATMENT OP RHEUMATIC FEVER AND IN- FLAMMATION OF THE HEART. Inefficacy of treatment to stop the progress of Cardiac Disease — Prevention by Alkaline treatment — No arrest of the Rheu- matic affection — Recovery without treatment — Injurious effect of Opium — The limited operation of Mercury — Liability to relapse — The supporting plan of treatment — Its fallacies — Evils resulting from Acidity — Treatment of Inflammation — Palliatives. The means at our disposal for the relief of disease of the heart are mainly palliative. A knowledg-e of the actual condition of the ors^an is essential to determining what measures are most likely to be beneficial: but when all has been done that art can do in the matter, the integrity of the valve spoiled by disease cannot be restored, nor can we reduce the size of the hypertrophied heart. The chief object of treat- ment must be to ]3revent these conditions from becoming more injurious to life, but much may be done in the early stages. With the know- ledge of the tendency of acute rheumatism to