Principles of surgery / by John Pearson.

  • Pearson, John, 1758-1826.
Date:
1832
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Principles of surgery / by John Pearson. 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.)

    21/268
    the cause from the effects, is a degree of knowledge highly to be desired, but not hastily to be arrogated. VIII. A legitimate inflammation is always accompanied with a painful sensibility in the nerves, and an augmented velocity and strength of contraction in the arteries of the part affect- ed : where these are present, an inflammation is present; when any one of these characters is wanting, the disease is not an inflammation. IX. These phenomena are closely connected with the pre- sence of tone, or such a state of the system, or of a particular part, as may be described by the term diathesis phlogistica. Heat, redness, and tumour, although accompanied with more frequent contractions of the blood-vessels than are natural, by no means characterize a disease to be truly inflammatory. X. An inflammation is called local, or topical, when it is confined to a particular part of the body : when the whole system is affected, it is termed general, or universal inflamma- tion.* When the inflammatory symptoms run high, and the disease hastens rapidly to a termination, it may be denomina- ted an acute inflammation. But where the symptoms are less violent than ordinary, and the disease gradually increases in extent and intensity, it may be called a chronic inflam- mation. XI. The degree of tumour and distention which attends upon a phlegmon, situated externally, will vary according to the structure of the affected part. Where the cellular mem- brane abounds, the effects and mode of termination will often deviate from those which are consequent on the inflammation of a tense membrane. But although a strict resemblance of appearances may not always be exhibited by inflamed parts of different structure, yet the analogy is sufficiently complete to warrant the application of our proposition, by giving it as a general rule, that the phenomena enumerated (at No. 8) are never absent: when they are present, inflammation is present, and e contrario. XII. There is a considerable variety in the susceptibility of different parts, to assume the form of inflammation; nor does this disease always proceed with equal violence and activity : but it is not necessary to assign as causes of these deviations, * It may be doubted whether such a stale as this be at all compatible with life.