First principles of medicine / By Archibald Billing.

  • Archibald Billing
Date:
1831
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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

    15/142 (page 7)
    Why do they deposit when they get it more than they did before? The notice is inflammation, whether it be from a fracture, a blow, or other accident, and the vessels by this inflammation becoming distended, (with or without rupture and extravasation) and the part spongy, there is if not stagnation a sufficient retar- dation, of the blood to allow of crystallization of bony matter. When do the workmen cease depositing? When the spaces prepared by the inflammation. are filled; if there be not enough of bone deposited to unite a broken limb the surgeon often rubs the broken ends against each other to excite new inflammation, because strange as it may sound to the unlearned we cure in many instances by producing inflammation. We may thus account for the hopeless work of the vessels in the tooth-ache, the injury is in a part which cannot be re- paired, as being destitute of membrane; hence the inflammation excited in the sound part produces only a useless effort, as we see sometimes evinced by morbid growth at the point of the root, but no repair of the mischief, so that the tooth must be removed altogether. The same. effort which repairs, if excited morbidly produces diseased growths, such as bony tumours from syphilitic or other inflammation of the membranes of the bones. During health the capillary arteries go on with their work of nutrition and secretion, the muscles are kept up, the mucous surfaces are kept lubricated, just enough to prevent any sensation from the substances which pass along them, the serous surfaces sufficiently soft and moist to slip over, and rub against each other without sensation, and the skin is kept soft by an insensible.