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.

    69/142 (page 61)
    or of soda, turpentine, resins, balsams, vinegar, improve external sores, and if an external inflammation be improved by what are called local stimulants, why not an internal? experience answers the question despite of all theory; and it is clear that the mode of curing inflammation by starvation, venesection, and leeches, is only adopting the Italian contrastimulant, or English antiphlogistic plan, in part, omitting the administration of emetic and cathartic substances. Many of the Italians over-rate the stimulant property of opium, and from a too exclusive attention to stimulants and contrastimu- lants would exclude it from many useful applications in disease ; but experience and our practice prove that it is often very useful in relieving the suffering of the patient as well as curing him; in gout in the stomach and inflammation from poison by arsenic or cantharides pain would kill, before the natural termination of inflammation if not relieved by anodynes. Yet to those who understand the new Italian doctrine of medicine, it has thrown great increase of light on the treatment of diseases, as well as Broussais’ system, though he also is too exclusive. Digitalis and bleeding are consistent in their action, bleeding and brandy are opposite in their action, and yet occasionally it is necessary to bleed and give brandy at the same time, as the patient must be relieved from an overload of blood and yet would sink if not kept up by the stimulant ; now this is thought by some to confute the new Italian doctrine of medicine, but the vene- section in this case may be said to be but a mechanical relief unconnected with diathesis, as for instance in such a disease as cholera of India where the powers