Schola medicinae; or, the new universal history and school of medicine / translated into English from the original Latin and Greek edition, by William Rowley.

Rowley, William, 1742-1806.

Date:: 1803

Credit: Schola medicinae; or, the new universal history and school of medicine / translated into English from the original Latin and Greek edition, by William Rowley. 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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$In his Treatise De Articulis, he mentions the cause of an extenuation. Nor, in like manner are the bones lengthened, but rather rendered shorter, especially the os femoris. The whole leg, also, losing its flesh and muscles, becomes extenuated, and small, partly because the bone is moved from its natural situation ; and partly because it cannot perform the of» flees it could, in a natural state. For exercise strengthens that which is weak, and resolves some part of that which hinders the increase of the membrane in length. Those patients are most injured, who have this articulation luxated, in the uterus. Those who sustain the next injury, are such as have it luxated in their infancy, and youth ; adult, and robust persons, sustain the least damage, by such misfortune. In the same work it is mentioned, that this extenuation is principally observable in the I parts most contiguous to the luxated articulation, which may be seen by the shoulders of those who have been luxated before ; birth, or, at least, before they have arrived at their full growth. In such persons the os humeri is shorter, and the cubit some- times less, than in sound pei sons. They can do most things with the affected arm, as well as the sound one. The flesh of the I thigh and leg, is diminished, when the head of the os femoris articulated with the coxa?, slips towards the internal parts ; be- J cause the patients cannot use that leg. Hence, the extenuation, succeeding an unreduced luxation, is not always to be abscribed to a compression of the large vessels, but often depends on the defect of muscular motion in the part affected. ON THE GANGLION. HIPPOCRATES De Articulis, says, it is customary to open t<* ya.fyX* those ganglions, tumors, or tubercles, which contain a loose muscous flesh, expecting to find a humour in them, but they are deceived ; though without any bad conss' quence to the patient. ON THE EMPYEMA. AFTER many judicious observations on the disorder, (i) it is said, if the patient bear the disorder easily, he will live ; if not, he will die, fourteen days after the operation. If pus be generated, from saliva left in the lungs, the patient is molested with a dry cough, (k) a fever attacks him, with a , shivering, he labours under on orthopnaea, with a short and thick respiration, (1) his voice becomes of a deeper tone, and a j high colour, with a heat overspreads his face. In process of time, the disease shews itself by more evident signs. If the pus, li cannot be evacuated, there is an eruption of it, from the lungs in the thorax ; after which the patient seems to be well, the 1, pus being translated, from a narrower into a larger capacity ; and the office of respiration being entirely discharged by the lungs. However, in process of time, the thorax is filled with pus, and the cough and the fever, and all the other painful, and ( troublesome symptoms return, with more violence; and the disease manifests itself in all its forms. In this case, it will be convenient, to let the patient alone till fifteen days after the eruption, that the pus may have time again to maturate : since, by I its translation into a larger place, and its refrigeration, by its attracting to itself the humidity of the thorax, it must, of ne- I cessity, be no more than half putrified, or digested. If, in the time before mentioned, expectoration begin spontaneously, it is well, if not, we are to assist the patient, in some of the said fifteen days with medicines, and potions, in order to his refreshment, and to recruit his strength, before his body be too much enfeebled, and cause a defluxkm. If there be no discharge by expec- toration ; and there be plain indications, that the stress or tendency of the pus is towards the sides, make no scruple to use j the knife, or cautery. (m) If there be no signs of this nature, or yet any expectoration, let the patient after bathing in' I plenty of hot water, fasting, and without the least drinking, be fiimly seated in a chair, and ordering an attendant to lay fast I hold of his shoulders, shake him well ^ourself, clapping your ear to his ribs that you may discover the part, whence the in- . dications arc to be taken. And here it is to be wished, that the place affected might lay towards the left side, because burning or cutting are most fatal on the right; for the stronger the parts arc, on the right side, the more violent are the diseases in t those parts. If there be no fluctuation, because of the thickness of the humour, and consequently no noise to be heard in the I breast, but the patient fbtehes his breath short, his feet swell, and he is molested with a cough, you may assure yourself that i the thorax is full of pus. Dip, therefore, a thin linen cloth in a warm infusion of eretrian earth, finely triturated, and lay it I all over the thorax ; (a) and in that part, where you find the cloth first dried, make the section, or apply the cautery in such manner / 1 j (i) De morbis. (fe) De raorb. lib. I\'. (/) Symptoms. • (m) Kmfc, oj cautery j [n] .knolher method to discover the matter in the thotaa, but quite uncertain.$