A manual of diet in health and disease / by Thomas King Chambers.

  • Chambers, Thomas King, 1818-1889.
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of diet in health and disease / by Thomas King Chambers. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    354/368 (page 342)
    not be cold, but at least have tbe cbill taken off. When thirst occurs between meals, the same rule of sipping should be observed. In this way quite a sufficiency to supply the requirements of the kidneys may be introduced—indeed, more is probably got into the blood than when larger quantities are gulped down at once, chilling and paralysing the absorbent powers of the mucous membranes. Independent of the inconvenience which the indigestion of fluids causes, it may be feared also that the distension of the stomach accompanying it interferes with the already laborious action of the heart, and aggravates the organic source of the malady. This is especially the case in Dilatation with Thinning of the heart's walls, and is least noticeable in Valvular Disease. Where Heart-disease is complicated with obesity, especially if the fat is accumulated in the chest, the enforcement of a dry diet is still further to be viewed as imperative ; inasmuch as it contributes powerfully to the reduction of the hyper- trophied adipose tissue. The only symptom which may perhaps render it a doubtful policy is the occurrence of dropsy. Should this be very de- cided, it is of importance to keep the kidneys active to a degree that can be accomplished only by the ingestion of a considerable supply of watery drink. I think, however, this shonld be always followed up by purgative medicines, often even by mercurials. And when the necessity has ceased, the dry regimen should be resumed. The dietary of persons with imperfect hearts should be at least as nitrogenous as if they were completely sound. What we have to dread is the atrophic degeneration of the cardiac muscle, for till this degeneration occurs the original lesion is not aggravated; and the constitution often gets so used to the state of mechanism of the heart that no inconvenience of any Idnd is felt. And atrophic degeneration is warded off by keep- ing up the redness and fluidity of the arterial blood. The importance of the existence or non-existence of valvular