A handbook of the theory and practice of medicine / by Frederick T. Roberts.
- Frederick Thomas Roberts
- Date:
- 1885
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A handbook of the theory and practice of medicine / by Frederick T. Roberts. Source: Wellcome Collection.
46/1050 page 28
![4. To diminisli the quantity of the blood, either by venesection, or by local methods, such as the application of leeches or cupping. 5. To draiv hlood aivay from the seat of congestion, by means of sinapisms, heat or other irritants applied to the skin, dry-cupping, and similar agencies. 6. To employ local measures, with the view of diminishing the quantity of blood in the affected region, such as the application of cold or pressure ; or intended to promote its circulation, for instance, friction, shampooing, or galvanism. 7. To alter the quality of the blood, employing low diet, purgatives, diuretics, and such remedies if there is plethora ; improving its quality, by the administration of good food and preparations of iron, if the blood is impoverished. 8. To improve the condition of the general system., when this is below par, especially in cases of passive congestion. It may be remarked that it is particularly inportant to endeavour to prevent and relieve congestion in febrile diseases; not to allow mechanical congestion to continue for any length of time if it can be avoided; and to warn aged persons against performing acts which lead to sudden temporary congestion, as their vessels are very liable to give way. Chapter 11. DROPSY—HYDEOPS. Deopst is only a symptom or pathological condition, though often a very important one, associated with certain general or local diseases. It consists in an accumulation of serous fluid, which has escaped from the blood-vessels, either in the subcutaneous or submucous cellular tissue, in serous cavities, or in the cellular tissue of certain organs ; it may occupy all these parts at the same time. The following terms are used to express the site of the dropsy:—Dropsy of the subcutan- eous cellular tissue, if at all extensive, is named anasarca, if localized, oedema; liydrotliorax signifies dropsical accumulation in the pleurae; liydropericardium in the pericardium ; ascites in the peritoneum ; hydro- ce]3]ialus in the ventricles of the brain or the arachnoid cavity; dropsy of organs is termed oederna, for example, oedema of the lungs. When dropsy involves both the subcutaneous cellular tissue and serous cavi- ties, it is said to be general. It is necessary to mention certain morbid conditions which are known as s]Jurious dropsies, but which really have no pathological rela- tion to dropsy. They include ovarian dropsy, which is a cystic disease of the ovary ; accumulations of fluid in the interior of hollow organs, as the result of obstruction at an orifice, or of inflammation, such as dropsy of the uterus (hydrometria), or of the gall-bladder; certain serous effusions consequent upon inflammation, for instance, hydro- cele, and acute oedema of the glottis; dropsy of the kidney (hydrone- phrosis), which is either due to cystic disease, or, more frequently, to obstruction of the ureter and consequent accumulation of urine and inflammatory products within the pelvis of the kidney, which gradually destroy this organ.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b20400111_0046.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
