Lectures on massage & electricity in the treatment of disease (masso-electrotherapeutics) / by Thomas Stretch Dowse.

  • Dowse, Thomas Stretch.
Date:
[1889]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lectures on massage & electricity in the treatment of disease (masso-electrotherapeutics) / by Thomas Stretch Dowse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    emergent occasions, but this is far less in childhood than at any other period. We know quite well that sudden collapse and death m the acute diseases of children are very common : an excitant to the nervous centres in childhood often leads to convulsions and death which would scarcely be experienced in mature years. If we take, by way of example, children whose tissues are, by heredity, contaminated with the effects of syphilis or alcohol, we hnd that their forma- tive powers are exceedingly inefficient, and if the utmost care is not exercised in reference to the maintenance of heat and oxygenation, retrogressive metamorphosis is sure to ensue, and if this is not apparent as an objective sign, functional troubles arise which are more serious. Take diabetes mellitus for instance. It is known that this unfortunate condition in children is rapid in its progress and leads inevitably to death ; in fact, this disease takes as few weeks or months to kill a child as it would years in an adult. Let us for a moment refer to the nervous side of a child's organization, to- the mental capacity. Excessive precocity in a child is far from being, as some would suppose, an enviable condition : the balance of activity is invariably one sided ; the intellectual draws too largely upon formative pabulum; the grey matter of the brain takes to itself an undue share of nutritive activity ; an activity which is inconsistent with progressive and rational correlative development and integrity. Excessive physical, cerebral, and nervous activity can but be comphcated with instability and irritabihty, and the rapidity of discharge bein| unequal to the nutritive demand, exhaustion, pecuharities of character, fits and convulsions, not unfrequently supervene. But I cannot—although I wish that I had time to do so— carry this interesting subject farther : it is almost mtermmabie. Finally, let me say this: There are many of the finest intellects in youth and young manhood who fail to be tlie bri<^htest ornaments in the world of literature and science and art! and who not uncommonly meet with a premature grave, simply for the reason that their bram actmty is not fondly nursed, cherished, fed, and carefully and judiciously^ nurtured and cultivated. Thus far I trust I have made th . clear to you, that child hfe is far more readily exhausted than adult life; that formative force must be continuously re- plenished, not only for existence, but for progressive develop- ment hence we have not one but two nutritive factors m Sc?easing activity. Under normal conditions we are willing 0 admS'that thl supply is .equal to the c^ema^^^^^^^^^^ standard of health must be mamtamed. If it is not, e^ U lesuits