TREATMENT OF INFLAMMATION. 161 



assert that, as it is possible to assign the varied phe- 

 nomena in question to a cause demonstrably true 

 and adequate to their production, it would be unphi- 

 losophical and useless to seek for any other till either 

 the existence of that cause is disproved, or its opera- 

 tion is shown to be incompatible with the peculiar 

 conditions of the case. 



PART VI. 



OF THE APPLICABILITY OF THE SAME LAWS TO THE EXPLANA- 

 TION OF THE PHENOMENA, AND ELUCIDATION OF THE NATURE, 

 OF INFLAMMATION. 



HAVING thus, by a process of reasoning founded 

 upon the ascertained laws of matter, and confirmed 

 by numerous experiments upon the living body, 

 established the general proposition, that a morbidly 

 increased lateral pressure of the blood contained 

 within the minute vessels of a part will, in a direct 

 ratio to the amount of that increase, cause the 

 exudation of either liquid albumen, or coagulating 

 lymph, or the extravasation of blood, I now proceed 

 to inquire how far the existence of the same physical 

 disorder of the blood contained within the capillary 

 vessels of an inflamed part may be considered to 

 constitute the essential characteristic of that disease. 

 But before attempting to ascertain, by a general 

 examination of the subject, the compatibility of such 

 a view with the known phenomena or attendant 



M 



