Volume 1

The standard physician : a new and practical encyclopaedia of medicine and hygiene especially prepared for the household / edited by Sir James Crichton-Browne [and others].

Date:: 1908-1909

Credit: The standard physician : a new and practical encyclopaedia of medicine and hygiene especially prepared for the household / edited by Sir James Crichton-Browne [and others]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

301/430 (page 275)

$Blood-Polsonintf scapel, or with a special instrument in which the knife-blade is suddenly pushed into the vein by the aid ot a spring. The instruments used must be aseptic. Before opening the vessel, the limb is constricted with a circu- lai bandage abo\ e the site selected, in order to fill up the \’eins and make them moie leadily accessible. The resulting small wound heals within a few days, during which time the limb must be kept (juiet. The patient should I email! in bed aftei the ojiei'ation, m order that the ensuing pers]'>ira- tion may be utilised to its lullest extent. h'ainting-s])ells or attacks of weakness larely occur during blood-letting; but in order to avoid them the ])rocedure had best be conducted in bed. It is not ad\’isable that venesection be undertaken bv lavmen. BLOOD-POISONING (SEPT^MIA).-—A general svstemic jioisoning, caused by the absorption into the circulation ol the ])oisonous ]!roducts of certain bacteria. It may be complicated by the presence in the blood of the micro- organisms themselves. The sym])toms com])rise a high temperature, a teeling of weakness and fatigue, a py^emic coma or delirium, and repeated chills. Some of these cases are rapidly fatal. Tliere is a popular concep- tion that many diseases are connected with a ])revious attack of blood- ]!oisoning ; and simple inllammation, with redness of the surrounding skin and swelling of the affected limb is often regarded as a like condition. This conception is fallacious, for it is essential that the bacteria or their poisonous ])roducts gain entrance into the bloodstream before one can properly speak of blood-poisoning, or se])tcemia. The first intimation of this is usually a severe chill. The onh' wav in which this dangerous condition may be avoided is b\' earlv and appro]!riate ti'eatrnent of every septic inflammation ; where pus is ])resent it should be removed as soon as ])ossible by ])roper incisions, in order to ]n'e\'ent the absorption by the blood of the toxic sub- stances. Some of the worst cases of sept^emia tollow childbirth. In these instances lack of cleanliness results in the infection of the wounded surfaces of the uterus ; and absorption of toxins or bacteria, or of both, bring about puer- l^eral fever. The most important septcTinia-causing micro-organisms are the Staphylococcus and Streptococcus pyogenes aureus. Sept mia is a factor also in manv cases of t\'phoid fever, ]!neumonia, and syphilis. An entirely different ty})e of blood-poisoning is lound following the use of certain drugs. These remedies are lor the most j'lart examples of modern synthetics, in which the carbolic-acid nucleus forms an integral part. \\ hen taken in large doses they cause certain changes in the blood whereby its oxidative functions are interfered with, either by a fixation of the haemoglobin action or by a destruction of the blood-corpuscles themselves. Such drugs as acetanilid (an important ingredient in many headache-cures), antipyrin, sulphonal, etc., ma}’ cause poisoning of the blood by rendering its oxidation impossible ■ or difficult. :.\s a result of the action-of certain .blood-poi^ons,$