The student's textbook of the practice of medicine / by Angel Money.

  • Money, Angel.
Date:
1889
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The student's textbook of the practice of medicine / by Angel Money. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Flushing- or blushing is a g-ood example of hypersemia resulting from emotional disturbance, and probably originating, therefore, from the cere- bral cortex in the first instance. This form of hypersemia is most commonly observed as the first step towards inflammation, and it may be in- duced, perhaps reflexly, by mustard leaves, poul- tices, heat, and cold, applied to the skin. Active hypersemia is seen in the cheeks in hectic fever, and in one cheek in pneumonia. It may be seen in regions affected with neuralgia, as in hemicrania, when the temporal artery may be seen and felt to be throbbing and swollen, and all its contiguous skin engorged and swollen. Hyperaemia may be the effect of dry-cupping-, i.e., removal of atmo- spheric pressure, and of the removal of fluid pres- sure, as when congestion of the peritoneum results from the rapid withdrawal of fluid from the peri- toneum. Many skin diseases are nothing- more than active hypersemia, as for example, rheumatic erythema, scarlatinal rash, roseola. The me- chanism of these hypersemias is doubtful, but drugs and poisons in the blood may act either directly on the vessels or on some part of the nerves. Diagnosis.—Hypersemia has to be diagnosed from purpura or haemorrhage and from inflamma- tion. From the former it is easily distinguished by its complete disappearance on pressure, and its rapid return after removal of the pressure. From the latter it is less easy to distinguish, for in both there is redness and heat of the part, and in both there may be pain and swelling-, but in hypersemia there need be no pain or tenderness, and the swelling is usually slight. Usually with inflammation there is fever, but not with hy- persemia. The symptoms vary with the part affected; the
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