Outlines of the science and practice of medicine / by William Aitken.

  • William Aitken
Date:
1874
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Outlines of the science and practice of medicine / by William Aitken. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    But in ascribing this property of contagion to these and other diseases, it is not to be understood as determined that contagion is the only exciting cause of any one of them. These diseases also are not equally nor ahke contagious one with another; nor does the contagious property exercise its influence similarly in all of them. Some of them may occasionally originate from causes still not definitely determined, and perhaps extend themselves in an unknovm way, besides being pro- pagated by contagion; and with regard to some of the forms of fever originatmg in malaria, there is some evidence to shew that they may occasionally, and under certain circumstances, spread by contagion, especially the malarious form of yellow fever. CHAPTER II. CASE-TAKING—THE METHODICAL EXAMINATION OF PATIENTS AND RECORDING MEDICAL CASES. The systematic examination of patients and recording the results of the inquiry in writing, commonly called case-taking, should be practised from the earliest possible period of cUnical study. To elicit the facts of a case with facility and precision requires continual practice.. A careful examination of the patient is the first requisite for a correct diagnosis. Some well-prepared plan is necessary to accomplish this, and should be adopted and. followed out by every student as the best method of train- ing to that accuracy of observation, which is at once a necessity and.a leading feature of the practice of medicine of the present day.. If the attempts of a beginner are watched, who sets about the examination of a patient without any definite method, it will be seen that he wanders in his inquiries from one part of the body to another. He is attracted by varied and different symptoms; he asks pointless and fruitless questions, and finally jumps at hasty conclusions, which are generally erroneous; or he fails altogether to make up his mind as to the nature of the case he has before him. Directions have been given by many authorities for acquiring and habitually following a definite system of examining patients, especially as to what are the essential poiiits to be elicited and recorded in case- taking. A skilful practitioner may be able to learn the truth of a case in any order, or in no order; yet it is very desirable that a regular order
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