182 ox TIIK \Airui: AND PRINCIPLES OF 



sentences from Dr. Bennett's work, for two reasons. 

 In the first place, they represent, in a concise and 

 clear manner, the views entertained on this [uesti<>n 

 by many eminent pathologists ; and they at the same 

 time afford an instance of that preference of a vital 

 to a physical, a mysterious to a simple, explanation 

 of a given phenomenon, which, manifested as it so 

 generally is by the most distinguished and talented 

 members of our profession, cannot but exercise a 

 very injurious influence on the progress of medical 

 science. Having been thus candid in pointing out 

 what I conceive to be a defect in Dr. Bennett's pa- 

 thological reasoning, I cannot avoid expressing an 

 opinion that his short treatise on inflammation pre- 

 sents a more complete and intelligible view of the 

 subject, and is, at the same time, characterised by 

 closer reasoning and more careful discrimination, 

 than any other work which has yet fallen under my 

 notice. 



The preceding remarks will, I hope, suffice to 

 establish the principle that the production of one or 

 other of the immediate effects of inflammation is, 

 in every case, mainly determined by the amount of 

 pressure acting on the columns of blood contained in 

 the capillaries of the affected part. If, therefore, it 

 were always in our power to ascertain during life 

 the nature of the accompanying effusion, we should 

 have a very simple and natural arrangement of cases 

 of inflammation under three heads, denoting as manv 

 shades of difference in the intensity of the disease. 

 Aciilc inflammation could then be defined as ca- 

 pillary hyperaemia, with more or less extensive ex- 



