On equine disease, and its vital causes / by William Haycock.
- Haycock, William.
- Date:
- 1865
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: On equine disease, and its vital causes / by William Haycock. 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.
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![Acquired.—Ncitlicv hereflitary nor congenitfil, but dependent on some cau8e operatiiiji; after birth Sihcnic.—Attended witli strong activity of the life powers. Asthetiic.—Attended with sinking of the life powers. In addition to the above, other distinctions of disease may he made of more limited application; thus, diseases are febrile, i. e. attended with fever ; exanthema tons, i. e. attended with eruption ; intermittent, marked by a regular cessation and recurrence of symptoms ; remittent, marked by a regular diminution and return of the symptoms. Mild, unaccompanied with any symptoms of a formidable nature. Muliynant.—Severely depressing to the life powers or highly ■ dangerous and intractable. Puerperal, i. e. incident to the puerperal period ; and so forth. By this arrangement of the subject we obtain, comparatively speaking, a very complete picture of the various conditions, speci- alities, and associations, under which disease is presented to our notice. The next question (and a most essential one it is) is this, What is disease ? To answer it properly requires us in the first place to determine what life is, for the doctrine of disease is inseparably associated with the doctrine of life. The healthy functions of tlie organism constitute the province of the physiologist; the structure of the organs performing the various functions belongs to the anatomist; and it is with the derangements of both functions and organs, so far as the lower animals alone are concerned, that constitutes the peculiar province of the veterinary surgeon. Hence in our province, as in that of the human surgeon, the inseparable relation of the doctrine of life to the doctrine of disease. An intimate knowledge of healthy structure is vitally essential to an intimate knowledge of healthy function. An intimate knowledge of healthy function is vitally essential to an intimate knowledge of diser^e ; and all disease is either deranged vital force which terminates as such merely, or deranged vital force producing an alteration or derangement of structure. Gentlemen, What is life ? A question which the present state of our knowledge does not permit us to answer. Innumerable doctrines, both in ancient and modern times, have been put forth respecting the nature and origin of life, which have all this character in common—they ar(! the highest expression, so to speak, of the predominating philosoj)hies peculiar to the time of their appearance. The tendency of physiologists of the present day is to regard the living principle as a mere combination, consisting of chemical and mechanical forces. It is true the functions of nnisiication, insalivation, and deglu- tition, are simply mechanical actions; that digestion, respiration, the production of animal heat, and the waste of tissue, are ail bin»])ie and, in theniselvc.>5, chemical actions.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21481325_0006.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
