Lectures on Bright's disease : delivered at the Royal Infirmary of Glasgow / by D. Campbell Black.

  • Black, Donald Campbell, 1841-1898.
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lectures on Bright's disease : delivered at the Royal Infirmary of Glasgow / by D. Campbell Black. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    abundantly proves, and that it will and ought to do good, reason teaehes us to believe. The reaction against general bleeding limits us to one of two conclusions: either Nature cured inflammatory affections in times gone by, and the testimony and observation of the writers of these times are worthless, or the diseases of the one age are not curable by the means adopted in the other. To evade this peculiar dilemma the doctrine of change of type has been propounded—a doctrine I have no hesitation in pronouncing one of the most melan- choly that could be advanced to natter conceit, palliate scientific imperfection, and condone a contemptible sub- serviency to the caprice of fashion. Nature's laws may change, but man's judgment, never! The blood, we have seen, in acute nephritis, is sur- charged with fibrine, and effusion of fibrine into the in- flamed organ is one of the complications especially to be guarded against. General bleeding, it is well known diminishes the amount of fibrine in the blood. Should the symptoms be less severe, cupjring over the region of the kidneys may take the place of bleed- ing ; or after venesection may have been practised, the withdrawal of blood by means of cupping may follow, according to the indications of severity. Should these methods be deemed too severe, blood may be withdrawn by means of leeches applied to the loins. In either case the bleeding may be subsequently en- couraged by the application of large linseed meal poul- tices, which may be advantageously covered or mixed with laudanum, or by hot fomentations applied to the loins. The poultices or fomentations should not be