Buckmaster's Elements of animal physiology / by John Angell.

  • Angell, John
Date:
1866
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Buckmaster's Elements of animal physiology / by John Angell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    364/384 (page 352)
    If a splinter enters the skin it produces irritation and conse- quent inflammation of the part; the liquor sangumis exudes, and by its pressure on the minute bloodvessels of the adjacent parts more or less completely obstructs the circulation and arrests the nutritio7i of the parts, producing a small wound or ulcer. This process illustrates in a lower degree what takes place during more serious inflammation, ulceration, and mortifi- cation. General or Somatic Death (from Gr., soma, a body), or death of the whole body, formerly described as systemic death, is consequent on the cessation of the circulation, and is usually caused by the failure of one of three centres, which have therefore been denominated by Bichat the tripod of life,—^viz., the heart, lungs, and brain. Syncope (from Gr., sun, together; and kopto, I cut). —When the immediate cause of death is the failure of the propulsive power of the heart, death is said to result from syticope. Asphyxia (See page 216).—Wlien the immediate cause of death is obstruction to the flow of the blood by the capillaries of the lungs, death is said to be produced by asphyxia. Coma (from Gr., koma, lethargy).—When death is caused by failure of the action of the brain, the animal dies in a state of insensibility or unconscious- 7iess, the heart and lungs ceasing to act from the want of the necessary nervous hifluence. In the latter case death results from coma. It may be produced by certain poisons; ardent spirits; by physical shock, as a fall or a violent blow on the abdomen; or by nervous shock, as fright, passion, excessive joy, &c. Death also probably sometimes begins in the blood itself, under the influence of fever and other poisons, the centres of life previously described ceasing to act