An inaugural dissertation on the influence of one disease, in the cure of others / [Ashton Alexander].

  • Ashton Alexander
Date:
1795
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An inaugural dissertation on the influence of one disease, in the cure of others / [Ashton Alexander]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/54 page 11
    Cay 4 the mufcular fyftemand probably from feveral others. The mufcle which could raife five thoufand times its own weight in the morning, is pained at every motion, and the arterie which at the fame time beat 65 or 70 fmall and weak, now beats 80 or'go full and ftrone. A continuance of this irregularity would be dif- eafe; but as night comes on, all the ftimuli are ab- ftratted except fuch as fupport life, and thus leave the excitement to equalize itfelf. ‘* Sleep has been called a tendency to death,” it might, with more propriety be called, a tendency to, life. For with- | out night and fleep refulting from it, we mult have been formed like Salamanders, or exifted as Ephe- meras— The wildom of the Supreme Being, in the — * Government of this world sppos in no inftance more ftupendous than in the alternation of night, with day. All nature feels its influence, and lives but in the change: but as all things are iade fub- ‘ordinate to man, fo the benefit “of night 1s more efpecially intended for him. 1 have faid that it as as the prevention to phyfical evil, it alfo, prevents the Commiflion of moral, with exceptions applicable toboth: But its principle efficacy confilts, in the prevention of difeafe. When the irregularity of excitement is fo great, thatthe tranfition to difeafe, is a work of amoment: night kindly abftracts all ftimuli, the arterial fyftem gives off the accumula- ted excitement, abftracted from others, and by the morning leaves all the fyftems with jult pro- portions of excitement—I have faid the body la- bours under predifpofition, to difeate every night : predifpofition, isthat ftate of one or more fyftems,in which a fmall exciting caufe, brings on difeafe, which without this predifpolition, would have hadnoeflee:
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3