234 ON THE NATURE AND PRINCIPLES OF 



stitutcs the immediate cause of the disease, the early 

 adoption of such measures would, of course, be 

 imperatively called for. But as the attainment of 

 this object is, in the majority of cases, clearly impos- 

 sible, we are compelled to limit our efforts to the 

 prevention and removal of the injurious effects re- 

 sulting from the existence of that local impediment 

 to the circulation. Most of the remedies, however, 

 employed for this purpose also exercise a consider- 

 able influence in accelerating the disintegration and 

 softening of the coagulated blood-columns, and thus 

 facilitate the re-establishment of the circulation 

 through the affected vessels. Some of those just 

 mentioned as useful in promoting the removal of 

 the solid products of effusion, have more especially 

 been long celebrated for their deobstruent powers. 



As the first stage of inflammation, or that charac- 

 terised by effusion, ceases with the solidification of 

 the columns of blood occupying the affected vessels, 

 and as the present inquiry is not intended to embrace 

 the study of more than that stage of the disease, I 

 shall not further pursue the examination of the 

 treatment of its acute forms. In accordance with 

 the plan laid down at its commencement, I have 

 throughout this investigation studiously avoided any 

 discussion of the many important circumstances 

 which determine the nature of the secondary effects 

 of inflammation. And from the same desire to 

 exclude, as far as possible, all sources of compli- 

 cation, even those more obvious chemico-physical 

 peculiarities of the circulating fluid, which tend to 

 modify its immediate ami primary effect*, have 



