36 



EXPERIMENTS OX THE CIRCULATION 



of undue compression (viz. an obstruction or im- 

 pediment to the flow of blood through the vessels of 

 the inflamed part, and excessive action of the heart,) 

 co-exist in that disease, it seems but reasonable to 

 infer that the primary effects of inflammation, being 

 identical with those of undue compression of the 

 blood, are the mere consequences of that physical 

 cause. 



2. That there is no relation between the compo- 

 sition of the effused matters and the extent of the 

 dilatation of the coats of the vessels, as measured by 

 the quantity of blood they contain. To establish 

 this point more clearly, I subjoin a short Table, 

 exhibiting the relative weights of the healthy and 

 engorged organs, and the nature of the effusion. 



In conclusion, I may again repeat my opinion, 

 that the process of the effusion of albumen and lymph 

 through the coats of the vessels of the living body 



