First lines of the practice of physic / by William Cullen, M.D. ... ; with practical and explanatory notes, by John Rotheram, M. D. ; in two volumes ; vol. I[-II].

  • Cullen, William, 1710-1790.
Date:
1805
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: First lines of the practice of physic / by William Cullen, M.D. ... ; with practical and explanatory notes, by John Rotheram, M. D. ; in two volumes ; vol. I[-II]. 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.)

    58/600
    CHAPTER V. OF THE PROGNOSIS OF FEVERS. A S fevers (bv CO) consist of botli morbid and sah:- J\ tary motions and symptoms, the tendency of the disease to a happy or fatal issue, or the prognostic in fevers, bas been established by marking the prevalence of the morbid, or of the salutary symptoms ; and it might be properly so established, if we could certainly distinguish between the one and the other of these kind of symptoms: but the ope- ration of the reaction, or salutaiy efforts of nature injuring is, is still involved in so much obscurity, that I cannot explain the several symptoms of it so clearly as to apply them to the establishing prognostics ; and this, I think, may be done better, by marking the morbid symptoms which shew the tendency to death in levers. J 00.] This plan of the prognostics in fevers must proceed upon our knowledge of the causes of death in general, and in fevers more particularly. The causes of death, in general, are either direct or in- direct. The first are those which directly attack and destroy the vital principle.-, as lodged in the nervous system ; or destroy the organization of the brain immediately necessary to the action of that principle. The second, or the indirect causes of death, are thoSe which interrupt such functions as are necessary to the circu- lation of the blood, and thereby necessary to the due con- tinuance and support of tne vital principle. 10].] Of these general causes, those which operate more particularly in fevers seem to he, first, The violence of re tion ; which either by repeated violent excitements, destroys the vital power itself ; or, by its violence, destroys the or- ganization of the brain necessary to the action of that pow- er ; or, by the same violence, destroys the organization of the parts more immediately necessary to the circulation of the blood. Secondly, The cause of death in fevers may be a poison, that is, a power capable of destroying the vital principle; and this poi:,onmay be either the miasma or contagion which was the remote cause of the fever, or it may be° a putrid matter generated in the course of the fever. In both case<.