Volume 1

Descriptive catalogue of the pathological specimens contained in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

  • Royal College of Surgeons of England. Museum.
Date:
1846-9
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Descriptive catalogue of the pathological specimens contained in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    66/162 (page 52)
    in consequence of the pressure of an encysted tumour, which grew beneath them, and over the origin of the right rectus abdominis muscle. 121. An encysted tumour in the cellular membrane very near the skin, and which had opened externally by the second of our first modes of ulcera- MS. Catalogue. It is by the progressive absorption tliat matter or pus, and extraneous bodies of all kinds, whether in consequence of or producing inflammation and suppuration, are brought to the external surface [Nos. 115, 116]; it is by means of this that bones exfoliate; [Nos. 641 to 660, and other specimens of Necrosis] ; it is this operation which separates sloughs; [Nos. 131 to 136, &c.;] it is the absorbents which are removing whole bones while the arteries are supplying new ones; and although in these last cases of bones it arises from disease, yet it is somewhat similar to the modelling process of this system in the natural formation of bone ; it is this operation that removes useless parts, as the alveolar processes when the teeth drop out [as in No. 8], or when they are removed by art; as also the fangs of the shedding teeth, which allows them to drop off'; and it is by these means ulcers are formed. It becomes a substitute in many cases for mortification, which is anotiier mode of the loss of substance ; and in such cases it seems to owe its taking place of mortification to a degree of strength or vigour superior to that where mortification takes place ; for although it arises often from weakness, yet it is an action, while mortification is the loss of all action. In many cases it finishes what mortification had begun, by separating the mortified part. These two modes of absorption, the interstitial and the progressive, are often wisely united, or perform their purposes often in the same part which is to be removed ; and this may be called the mixed, which I believe takes place in most cases, as in that of extraneous bodies of all kinds coming to the skin ; also in abscesses, when in soft parts [No. 116] It is the second kind of interstitial absorption, the progressive and the mixed, that becomjes mostly the object of surgery, although the first of the interstitial sometimes takes place, so as to be worthy of attention.—Hunter; On the Blood, ^c.: Worhs, vol. iii. p. 463. The progressive absorption is divisible into two kinds; one without suppuration, the otlier with, I shall now observe that the absorption which does not produce sup- puration may take place either from pressure made by sound parts upon diseased parts, or by diseased upon sound parts; as the effect that the pressure of the coagulated blood