First principles of medicine / By Archibald Billing.

  • Archibald Billing
Date:
1831
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: First principles of medicine / By Archibald Billing. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    137/142 (page 129)
    In those cases we must be cautious in not endea- vouring to do too much at a time, by over active treat- ment; when the cause is an organic alteration which cannot be removed, the strength must be supported though depletion be necessary, and yet whatever increases the action of the heart, by ‘adding to congestion, dimi- nishes the vital powers; so that there must be a cone stant difficult exertion of skill to preserve the balance between heart and capillaries, in which we are much assisted by the tonic medicines, which do not stimulate, and at the same time help to support the strength, under the operation of the occasionally required evacuants and sedatives. Chronic inflammation of the liver, or other part, by wearing out the nervous system, which is called break- ing down the constitution, induces also dropsy, from loss of power of the capillaries, very often partial, as ascites, from the exhaustion of the nerves of the ab- domen, by continued sympathetic irritation. This leads us to the rationale of another symptom, Hiqmorruace from the mucous membranes, which takes place under the same circumstances as dropsy, the exhalants from atony allowing blood to exude in- stead of moisture, and even the fine exhalants of the serous membranes sometimes allow blood to. escape, which we find mixed with the dropsical lymph upon tapping, or after death. Enough has been said to account for the capillary exhalants of mucous membranes becoming so debili- tated, by sympathetic irritation or inflammation, as to allow blood to weep from them, it used to be commonly R