Diseases of the nervous system / by J.A. Ormerod.

  • Ormerod, J. A. (Joseph Arderne), 1848-1925.
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Diseases of the nervous system / by J.A. Ormerod. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

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    The uric acid headache.—According to I >r. Haig, many cases of migraine are to be reckoned as a uric acid headache. The radical fault is the pre- sence in the system of an excess of uric acid (we may say, the gouty diathesis). This may be either locked up in the tissues or pass into the blood, whence it is excreted by the urine. Such paroxysmal headaches are marked by the fact that during the paroxysm there is an excess of uric acid in the urine. This makes it probable that they are caused by its pre- sence in the circulating blood. They may be relieved by the administration of acids (say a drachm of dilute nitro-hydrochloric acid in divided doses) ; which, rendering the blood more acid, drives the uric acid back into the tissue. But during the interval we should aim at (1) diminishing the production of uric acid, which is best effected by cutting off from the diet all forms of butcher's-meat, malt liquors, and strong wines 5(2) aiding its excretion as fast as formed, which can be done by prolonged administration of salicylates, or alkalies. Neuralgia.—We have already alluded to the subject of neuralgia and the nerves (trigeminal, sciatic, cervico-occipital, intercostal) which it princi- pally affects. The pain of neuralgia is often of two kinds: a dull continuous ache, principally in the site of the nerve-trunk; or sharp darting twinges, princi- pally in the peripheral distribution of the nerve. Both these kinds of pains, but particularly the latter, are apt to occur in paroxysms, or at least to have paroxysmal exacerbations. The pain of a neuralgia, in the strict sense of the term, is limited to the area of a particular nerve, but as it gets worse its original distribution may be concealed by irradiation to other parts. (Painful affections of many organs, for which no cause can be found, are often loosely spoken of as neuralgia of the uterus, kidney, Arc.) Lastly, we speak of a simple neuralgia only where we have reason to believe that there is neither organic disease 0