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
Catalogue details

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.)

    15/134
    dangerous affection. It may be spasmodic, but it is more often the effect of a stricture or contraction of the passage from local dis- ease. In low fevers it is not uncommon for a kind of paralytic distension of the bladder to occur. In either of these cases the re- moval of the urine by means of a catheter is of great importance. The bladder is also liable to inflammation (see Cystitis) and to chronic irritability, either of which may cause great distress. (For stone in the blad- der see Calculus.) Bleed'ing, or Haem'orrhage [from the Gr. aifia, blood, and ptw, to flow ], in surgery, denotes the escape of blood from the vessels which normally contain it. When the escape takes place into the tissues it is called ex- travasation. Hsemon-hage into an internal cavity is said to be concealed. A slight cut through the integument is usually fol- lowed by loss of blood, chiefly from the capillaries. Capillary bleeding will in many cases cease spontaneously, or it may require compression or the application of medicines, such as persulphate of iron or tannic acid. These medicines are called haemostatics or styptics. Arterial bleeding is recognized by the fact that the blood escapes in jets and is of a bright-red color. Arterial bleeding tends spontaneously to grow less, both from the feebleness of the heart's action which naturally follows, and from the retraction and contraction of the arterial walls, and the consequent formation of a clot of blood, which plugs the wound; but it may be neces- sary to resort to ligation or tying, to acu- pressure or compression of the artery by needles, or to pressure, mechanical or by hand, upon the course of the artery between the heart and the wound. A handkerchief may be tied around and then twisted with a stick. The wounded part should be elevated if possible. Venous bleeding is not gene- rally very formidable. It may be recognized by the steady flow of dark blood. A great source of danger when large veins are cut is that air may enter the circulation; in which case death may immediately follow. Haemorrhage from an internal and inac- cessible surface may be treated by astringents, as gallic acid, or by ergot, which is especially important in puerperal haemorrhage. Some individuals have what is known as the haem- orrhagic diathesis—a disposition to bleed ex- cessively even after a slight injury. A tend- ency to haemorrhage from the mucous sur- faces is characteristic of some diseases, such as typhoid fever. Bleed^ing, or Blood-letting, the abstraction of blood from the circulation as a means of curing or preventing disease. This operation is performed either by opening a vein (vene- section or phlebotomy), by abstraction from the capillaries by means of leeches or cups, or more rarely by opening an artery (arte- riotomy). Bleeding was formerly in exten- sive use in the treatment of many diseases, generally of an acute or active character; and though it has to a great extent been superseded by other measures, of late years it has been attracting the attention of the medical profession as a valuable therapeutic measure in a certain limited class of diseases. While it is liable to abuse, and Avhile, like many other active measures in the treatment of disease, it may become a source of mis- chief, it is nevertheless, when used with judgment, a valuable help in the treatment of some disorders. Blennorrhce^a [Gr. p~.hva, mucous, and piu, to flow], an abnormally copious dis- charge from any mucous membrane. After inflammation of the urinary mucous mem- brane a gleety discharge frequently continues for a long period [gleet). Tonics, fresh air, careful regimen, and astringent lotions are the remedies. Blind^ness is caused by diseases and inju- ries of the eye-ball or the optic nerve. Opacity of the cornea, cataract, inflamma- tion of the retina, and sclerotina and amau- rosis are its chief causes. The curability of blindness depends upon the disease causing it. (See Eye, Diseases of.) Blis'ters are plasters which, when applied to the skin, raise the cuticle into vesicles filled with serous fluid. They have for their object a counter-iri'ltation or diversion of inflammatory action from an internal part to the surface of the body. The common blister is made of cantharides or Spanish fly (Cantharis or Lytta vesicatoria), mixed with a convenient proportion of lard and wax. If applied too long it produces distressing affections of the urinary bladder. In chil- dren and sensitive persons a layer of thin gauze may be placed between the blister and the skin. Under no circumstances should a blister be left long upon children, as it may produce sores which are difficult to heal. When the blister has raised, the vesicles should be pricked and their fluid contents allowed to trickle away, the vesicated sur- face being then dressed with simple cerate or lard. Blood, Spit'ting of. See Hemoptysis. Blood, Vom'iting of. See Hemateme- SIS. Blood^y Flux. See Dysentery. Boil [Yi^i. furunculus], a hard, painful, in- flammatory tumor on the surface of the body, which begins as a point of a dusky red color, and is hot, aching, and throbbing. These symptoms increase in severity for several days, when it is of a conical form, with a broad firm base, and has on the apex