The eclectic practice of medicine / by Wm. Byrd Powell and R.S. Newton.

  • Powell, W. Byrd (William Byrd), 1799-1866.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The eclectic practice of medicine / by Wm. Byrd Powell and R.S. Newton. 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.)

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    that fever ever did take place under a proper performance of the depurating function. Inflammation results from local obstructions or lesions. Now suppose such obstruc- tion or lesion shall be general—universal in the system, what else could or should be expected than such a reaction as constitutes fever ? Every part and parcel of the solids is so over excited, or under excited, that no one part, however small or comparatively unimportant, is able to eliminate its metamorphosed portions, the absorbents are as it were dead. The glandular structures, too, are in a similar con- dition, and hence all the impurities of the venous blood, because of defective depuration, becomes mixed or blended with the arterial, and this morbidly excites every part and fever results. It is well known that a hot dry season is measurably exempt from febrile epedemics, but if rain be added to this heat, then they appear.* We are told that it is because the two com- bined promote vegetable decomposition. If this explana- tion be adopted, how shall we account for some epidemics in sandy deserts, far removed from any source of malaria ? It is well known that children and negroes are greatly exempt from the malarious fevers of the South. If then, these fevers are produced by a poison, how does it happen that they are exempted ? If our position be correct, this fact is easily explained. The black surface of the negro radiates not only a large portion of his animal heat, but also a large portion of that solar heat that falls upon him; and another large portion is removed by the evaporation of his perspirable matter. With these advantages his skin maintains its integrity, and as no morbid sympathy is engen- dered between it and the liver, the kidneys and other glandular structures, a proper depuration of the system does not become suspended. And as to children, they are confined mostly to the house. But they have another * This is not the fact, with reference to the yellow fever of New Orleans— a hot dry season is the most productive of it; we admit the statement, how- ever, as regards interimttents.