Johnson's family physician : from the ablest medical authorities, giving numerous and dangerous diseases to which the human race is subject, the symptoms and treatment, or what is necessary to be done in an emergency for the patient before the physician arrives, thereby alleviating suffering and often saving life / by E. Darwin Hudson, with articles from the most eminent physicians, among whom are Willard Parker [and others].
- Hudson, E. Darwin (Erasmus Darwin), Jr., 1843-1887.
- Date:
- 1880
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Johnson's family physician : from the ablest medical authorities, giving numerous and dangerous diseases to which the human race is subject, the symptoms and treatment, or what is necessary to be done in an emergency for the patient before the physician arrives, thereby alleviating suffering and often saving life / by E. Darwin Hudson, with articles from the most eminent physicians, among whom are Willard Parker [and others]. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
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![or by adding nitric acid. In either case the albumen coagulates into a white, semi-solid mass. Albuminuria is best treated by atten- tion to hygienic conditions, and diuretics. Alcoholism. See Ixtoxication. Alope'cia, See Baldness. Amauro^sis [Gr. a/uavpuaig, from a/xavpSo, to darken] a term formerly much em- ployed to designate total or partial blindness dependent upon diseases of the optic nerve, either at its origin, in its course, or in the retina; the last-mentioned seat of the dis- ease being by far the most frequent. If the local disease be temporary or functional, the sight will probably be regained, but in the majority of cases there is no such hoi^e. It may arise from many causes, one of the most remarkable of these being the exist- ence of Bright's disease; and in cases re- sulting from this cause there is an organic change in the structure of the retina, read- ily discernible by the aid of the ophthalmo- scope. Amaurosis sometimes comes on at once, but is generally gradual in its attack. The treatment varies with the extremely various pathological conditions. Active treatment is seldom called for, and no item in the cure of this disease is more important than attention to the hygienic condition. Anae^mia [from the Gr. a, priv., and a'l/ia, blood], also called Spanae^mia [from a-avog, scarce, rare, and ai/ua, blood], a morbid condition of the body in which the blood is of an abnormal composition, there being usually a deficiency in the nor- mal number of red corpuscles, a poverty of albumen, and an excess of salts, the abso- lute amount of the blood being usually be- low that observed in health. This condition is not properly a disease, so much as a re- sult of some disease or lesion, such as dys- pepsia, haemorrhage, excessive secretion from any gland or surface, insufficient nu- trition, defective aeration of the blood, con- sumption, cancer, malarial or other slow poisoning, leucocythtemia, excessive labor, or long-continued mental troubles. The symp- toms are, first, great debility, paleness of face, lips, and tongue, wasting of the tissues, various cardiac, arterial, and venous mur- murs, a small and often rapid pulse, clear- ness and low specific gravity of the urine. Late in the disease the feet swell and sweat- ing is observed. The treatment is, first, if possible, to remove the cause. Next, the proper conditions for recovery must be es- tablished, such as proper food, due exercise, and good air. Tonics, if they are well borne by the patient, are generally useful. Strych- nia, quinia, and, above all, iron, are often extremely useful. The iron is generally thought to act as food, there being an actual deficiency of iron in the blood. Anasar^ca. See Dropsy. Anchylo'sis, See Ankylosis, An'eurism [Gr. avevpva/ia, a widening], a pulsating tumor filled with blood, and communicating more or less directly with an arterv, the tunics of which are wholly or partially destroyed. A true aneurism has one or more arterial coats in its wall. A false aneurism has a wall of con- densed areolar tissue, the arterial coat hav- ing disappeared. A traumatic aneur- ism originates in a wound or other acci- dental injury. A varicose aneurism communicates with both an artery and a vein, but the term sometimes signifies a mere symmetrical dilatation of an artery. When such dilatations occur in groups or knots, it is a circoid aneurism. When the blood gets between the coats of an artery, and thus forms a tumor, it is a dissecting aneurism. The heart and its vessels are liable to aneurism al dila- tations. Aneurisms not traumatic are frequently traceable to a degeneration of the arterial coats, known as atheroma. In general, an- eurism of the extremities, when sufficiently near the surface, as when it occurs in the popliteal spaoe (the hollow of the knee), may be treated with a fair prospect of suc- cess by long-continued compression, mechan- ical or digital. Ligation, or tying the artery, sometimes succeeds. Galvano-punc- ture has its advocates as a means of cure. The injection of powerful astringents has succeeded in some cases, but is not to be regarded as a safe proceeding. The pros- pect, especially in aneurisms of the aorta and its great l>ranches, is that the disease will prove fatal, though there are very in- frequent cases which spontaneously recover by the formation of a clot within the tumor, which gradually shrinks into a hard, some- times a chalky, mass. The administration of sedatives and medicines Avhich increase the proportion of fibrine in the blood has been often advocated. Prolonged fasting has been recommended, but in general the safest way is for the patient to avoid all ex- cesses, and to make use of a nutritious diet, Avithout attempting a cure. One of the most remarkable effects of aneurism is the absorption of neighboring tissues, and even of bones, from the continual pressure. The aneurism sometimes finally bursts internally. Angi'na Pec'toris (anginaof thebreast), called also Breast-Pang and Heart-Stroke, an intense pain occurring in paroxysms, and usually commencing in the region of the heart or at the lower end of the breast- bone, and extending along the left arm, more rarely going toward the right side. It is characterized by a feeling of extreme](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21131041_0010.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
