A treatise on apoplexy, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral embolism, cerebral gout, cerebral rheumatism, and epidemic cerebro-spinal meningitis / By John A. Lidell.

  • Lidell, John A.
Date:
1873
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on apoplexy, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral embolism, cerebral gout, cerebral rheumatism, and epidemic cerebro-spinal meningitis / By John A. Lidell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

    14/428
    due to sudden stoppage of the blood-supply to the nerve-fibres and ganglion-cells of the brain.—Nervous apoplexy also due to anaemia of the cerebral substance.—Durham has shown that the brain is anaemic during sleep.—Mushet found the brain of an infant poisoned with laudanum very pale.—The author found the brain-substance very pale and anaemic in a young woman poisoned with opium or morphia.—Bedford Brown found chloroform-sleep to be attended with cerebral anaemia.—According to Trousseau, epi- leptic stupor is attended with anaemia of the great nervous centres, at the outset of the fit at least.—Ackerman has shown by experiments on animals that asphyxia is invari- ably accompanied by cerebral anaemia.—The efficient cause of apoplexy in aU its forms concisely stated.—The anatomical lesions which give rise to apoplexy also briefly stated. CHAPTER III. ON THE CAUSES OF APOPLEXY. 1. Infiuenee of advanced agein the production of this disease.—Opinions of Hippocrates and Galen among the ancients, and Drs. Cheyne, Bright, Watson, Copeland, Mushet, and Aitken among the moderns, on this point.—The author's statistical tables illustrating it, and what they show.—The circumstances favoring the disposition to apoplexy which exist in old age.—Infants also perish of this disease much oftener than is generally supposed.—3. Inflii£nce of sex.—Males more liable to it than females.—3. Infl-uence of tJie seasons in causing apoplexy.—Opinions of Galen, CuUen, Maclachan, Falret, Rochoux, and Aitken on this subject.—The author's statistical tables illustrating it, and what they prove.—Apoplexy occurs most frequently in early spring, and least frequently in early summer.—More fatal in cold weather generally than in warm weather.—April charged with the largest number of deaths from it, and'June the smallest.—i. Infliience of alcoholic drinks in causing apoplexy.—The abuse of alcoholic drinks has more to do in producing apoplexy than any other cause.—The reasons therefor stated.—Summary of the various organic lesions which are produced by alcoholic intem]3erance.—Changes in the brain most frequent and strongly marked.—It also induces vaso-motor paralysis of the cerebral blood-vessels.—5. On overfeeding as a cause of apoplexy.—High-living tends to produce this disease. 1st. by inducing a state of general plethora; 2d. by occasion- ing obesity.—6. On the abuse of opium and other narcotics as a cause of apoplexy.—Their use predisposes to the occurrence of cerebral hyperaemia.—Their long-continued abuse occasions vaso-motor paralysis of the cerebral blood-vessels.—7. On excessive brain-work as a cause of apoplexy.—Clergymen, authors, and editors of daily newspapers especially liable to die of this disease.—^Reasons therefor stated.—8. On the emotional causes of apoplexy.—They consist of mental shocks, strong passions, and powerful emotions of the mind.—9. On Jiereditary predisposition to apoplexy.—A special tendency to this disease is transmissible from parent to oflfspring.—The author's experience on this point.—10. On the so-called apoplectic constitution or appearance of the patient.—^Rokitansky declares it to be mere hypothesis.—11. On the relations of sleep to the occuiTcnce of apoplexy.—In con- siderably more than one half of the cases the attack begins during sleep.—13. On certain diseases which predispose to the occurrence of apoplexy.—They are some organic affections of the heart, some morbid states of the cerebral blood-vessels, some diseases of the kidneys, the gouty and I'heumatic diathesis, suppressed hemorrhoids, amenorrhcea, and especially the turn or change of life.—13. On concussion or commotion oftlie brain as a cause of apoplexy.—One of the author's cases referred to in which this form of injury probably determined the occurrence of cerebral oedema, with compression of the cere- bral capillaries, and anaemia of the nerve-fibres and ganglion-cells.—14. On eiurgetic expi- ratory efforts, such as straining at stool, as a cause of apoplexy.—The etiology of apoplexy is generally quite a complex affair.—A number of different causes usually cooperate in its production.