A treatise on the blood, inflammation, and gun-shot wounds / by John Hunter ; with notes by James F. Palmer.

  • John Hunter
Date:
1840
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on the blood, inflammation, and gun-shot wounds / by John Hunter ; with notes by James F. Palmer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    on the arms were in the same state as on the preceding day. On the 25th the measles began to disappear. On the 26th and 27th the punctures began again to look a little red. On the 29th the inflammation increased, and there was a little matter formed. On the 30th he was seized with fever. The small-pox appeared at the regular time, went through its usual course, and terminated favourably.* § 2. Of Parts susceptible of particular Diseases. There are some parts much more susceptible of specific diseases than others. Poisons take their different seats in the body as if they were allotted to them. Thus, the skin is attacked by what are vulgarly called scorbutic eruptions, as well as many other diseases : it is also the seat of the small-pox and the measles : the throat is the seat of action in the hydrophobia and in the hooping-cough. The absorbent system, especially the glands, are more susceptible of scrofula than most other parts of the body. The breasts, testicles, and the conglomerate glands, are most commonly the seat of cancer. The skiu, throat, and nose, are more readily affected by the lues venerea than the bones and periosteum, which however suffer sooner than many other parts, particularly the vital parts, which perhaps are not at all susceptible of this disease. These differences may arise from the nature of the parts themselves, or from some regular circumstances, which must act as a preexisting cause. + [In our ignorance of the essential nature of diseases, the principle which is here laid down maybe considered perhaps as too absolutely expressed. The disposition and appearances of specific diseases are unquestionably greatly modi- fied by the existence of peculiar states of the constitution at the time, as of scrofula, gout, rheumatism, &c, and this in so striking a manner as to render the distinction between a modified and a conjoint disease almost invisible. Thus, the affections which result from the abuse of mercury on a constitution affected with syphilis are sui generis, and cannot be produced by either of these poisons acting separately. Thus, also, the phenomena of small-pox and cow-pox present many peculiarities which are scarcely reconcileable upon the doctrines laid down by our author. Dr. Willan, for example, found that when a person was in- oculated with vaccine and variolous matter about the same time, (that is, not exceeding-a week,) both inoculations proved effective, for the vaccine vesicle proceeded to its acme in its usual number of days, and the maturation of the variolous pustule was attended by a variolous eruption on the skin. (On Vac- cine Inoculation, p. 1.) Dr. Woodville also has said, that if the cow-pox matter and the small-pox matter be both inserted in the arm of a patient, even within an inch of each other, so that on the ninth day the same efflorescence becomes common to both the local affections, nevertheless inoculating from the cow-pox tumour the genuine vaccine disease will be produced (Observations on the Cow-pox, p. 12) ; but if the inoculation be performed with a mixture of the two matters, then the chance is equal that small-pox or cow-pox will be the result, or the varioloid disease, either one of which is capable of conferring an immunity on the patient so affected. Here, therefore, are two diseases acknowledged to be distinct and constitutional, not only coexistent in the system at the same lime, but (from the blending of the areolar inflammations) apparently in the same part. These phenomcna°are probably as uncommon in disease as the hybridous productions of the animal and vegetable world in reference to the usual course of generation. Of the latter there is no question, and I do not perceive any antecedent presumption against the occurrence of the former.]