The neurotic theory of pyrexia / by W. Hale White.

  • Hale-White, William, Sir, 1857-1949.
Date:
[1886]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The neurotic theory of pyrexia / by W. Hale White. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    accompanied by different chemical changes. As further proof that the motor function is separate from the thermogenetic function there are the numerous cases of cerebial hsemorrhage causing hemiplegia, m which, in spite of the loss of motion, theie is an elevation of temperature. Bourneville1 has recoided several of these 5 some more will be found recoided by me m the Guy s Hospital Reports, vol. xlii.2 and in the Lancet.3 In the article in the Guys Hospital Reports, already referred to, I showed that there was very strong evidence to prove that the central nervous system presided over the heat-production of the body, and that therefore the bodily temperature might deviate from the normal in cases of injury or disease of the nervous system 5 and the object of this short paper is to examine how far we are justified in looking upon febrile pyrexia as a symptom of a disorder of the nervous system acting upon the metabolism of the muscular tissues. I therefore begin by giving the reasons for supposing that the muscles do produce the pyrexia of fever. So far from it seeming strange that nervous action should manifest itself in heat, it would rather be extiaordmary if it did not do so sometimes, for, after all, nervous action is merely a manifestation of energy, and is therefore, like electricity, capable of conversion into other forms, such as motion and. heat. The diagram on page 4 will, I think, represent the parts of the nervous system which are capable of affecting the lemperatuie of the body apart from vaso-motor fibres. Let us now see whether the nervous system of calorific nerves can be held responsible for the pyrexia of ordinary fever. Before doing this it will be necessary to put aside the vaso-motor system. To produce pyrexia this can only act either by causing contrac¬ tion of the cutaneous vessels, and thus impairing the loss of heat, or by dilating the muscular vessels and therefore aiding the production. In the beginning of this paper the reasons for believing fever to be due to increased production and not to decreased loss of heat were given, so that the first possible mode of vaso-motor action can be put out of count. Whether the 1 Bourneville, Ltudes cliniques et thcrrnomUriques sur les Maladies du Systems 7l/CTVC'lltXy» 2 “The Theory of a Heat Centre from a Clinical Point of View,” Guy s Hosp. Rep. vol. xlii. series iii. 3 “ A Case of Neurotic Pyrexia,’’ lancet, July 25, 1885. B 2