Remarks relative to Dr. Paine's commentaries upon the writings of M. Louis / by H. I. B.

  • Bowditch, Henry I. (Henry Ingersoll), 1808-1892.
Date:
1840
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Remarks relative to Dr. Paine's commentaries upon the writings of M. Louis / by H. I. B. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    ground for his principle that softening, thickening and ulceration, of dif- ferent tissues, sometimes depend upon inflammation, and at other times on an ‘ exactly opposite condition of disease,’ and what, also, is the probable motive for introducing this confusion into the most important branch of pathology. “ In the first place, the inductions are founded wholly upon the debris of the body. There is no where, that we have been able to discover, any essential reference to the phenomena of the disease during its actual existence. Even the remarkable similarity of those phenomena ap- pears not to have been held in consideration, in forming the conclusions. Secondly, the inductions rest chiefly upon the fact that the foregoing alterations of structure are white in one case, and red, in the other. (P. 548, Andral.) This may be very philosophical; but let us see what our author thinks of it when he is engaged in reasoning the reader into his problem, and in supplying the appearance of an impartiality which never fails of a prepossessing influence, and carries us along with greater confidence to the never-failing act of generalization. But we have even more than this—a direct contradiction of his own philosophy as it respects the very important tests of color, by which our author comes at last at the conclusion that the foregoing lesions are owing in c the typhoid fever,’ at different times, to exactly opposite pathological conditions. Thus: ‘ Paleness of inflamed structures takes place sooner or later, as is exemplified in the various shades of color of he- patized lung.’ ‘ It ought to be noticed, that continuous with a red and softened portion of mucous membrane, we often find another equally softened, but without redness. If the first, therefore, is inflammatory, it is probable that the other is also.’ Here, too, he allows that 1 thicken- ing of the sub-mucous cellular tissue ’ was £ an evident result of inflam- mation,’ although £ recent ’ and £ retaining its natural paleness.’ Where- upon, our author lays down a rule which it was convenient to abandon in expounding the lesions of c the typhoid affection.’ Thus: ‘This fact [the foregoing], with many others, shows that the thickness of our tissues is one of the most important circumstances to be noticed, and that to confine ourselves to the description of the color of membranes is often useless and even a cause of error to those who might draw con- clusions from imperfectly described facts.’* And again, in his Preface, 1 redness, considered by itself, offers much less interest,’ than £ thicken- ing, softening,’ &ic. ££ Such was the opinion of our author when reasoning abstractedly 4 * On Phthisis, sec. 135, 136.