ae 
EXe. | 144 
cous follicles of the brotchia and cells of the 
lungs, by being taken into the circulation. And 
since these remedies can have, for these reasons, 
no power to attenuate the viscidity of the mucus, 
through the rout of sanguineous circulation, they 
could still less act in this way, in increasing the 
quantity of that mucus, it not being there present 
to act upon, and the tissues which secrete it being 
too remote to be supposed susceptible of being 
reached in this manner. Since the diseases in 
which expectorants, by common consent of opinion 
and practice, are required, are thosé marked by a 
deficiency of the mucus naturally exuding from 
the lining tissue of the lungs and bronchia, or a 
morbid increase in its due quantity and often with 
a conjunctive augmentation of adhering tenacity to 
the secreting surface with increase in its viscidity— 
it is plain he could attach no curative effect to the 
operation of expectorants. He does not doubt 
that the articles under this name, may diminish the 
cetermination of excited action to the lungs and 
its appendages, and thereby lessen the morbid ac- 
cumulation of their secretion which may have 
been produced by that action, or rather prevent 
further accresion to the viscid increased mass al- 
ready clogging their cells and passages. But he 
believed they effected this, by determining ® the 
‘surface of the body that local excitement which 
eaused the mischief. That they might readily 
do this cannot be doubted by any one who has ob- — 
served or reflected on the sympathetic actions of 
the respiratory organs and the skin. Hetherefore — 
believed they acted, not as expectorants, in the 
usual acceptation of that term, but as diaphoretics. 
He also supposed an explanation of their effects, 
and the only probable one he could offer, was “ that. 
by increasing the secretion of the liquid that is te. 
