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tion as the constitution suffers, and the seats of the disease become 

 extended. 



3. Strictures in the urethra produce hernia humoralis. This is 

 another instance of complication of disease without curative results. 



4. Disease of the liver obstructing the return of blood from the 

 veins which unite in the ven. port, produces ascites. Unless dropsy of 

 the belly may be supposed to benefit an enlarged and indurated liver, 

 by affording it the advantages of a warm bath, it would be difficult 

 to say in what other way the secondary tends to cure the primary 

 disease in this instance. 



5. Ulcers of the legs are produced by a varicose state of the 

 veins. The secondary disease in this case has never been suspected 

 as the spontaneous cure of the primary one. 



6. The irritation of a tubercle in the lungs produces fever; fever 

 accelerates the suppuration of the tubercle; fever maintains ulcera- 

 tion in the primary seat; ulceration tends to perpetuate fever; these 

 processes in regard to each other are not remedial, on the contrary, 

 each disease is increased by the other, and both concur to 

 produce death. 



7. Water in the brain may produce paralysis of the optic nerve. 

 It would be difficult to shew the tendency of blindness to cure hydro- 

 cephalus; the water increasing, the pressure of the fluid impairs 

 respiration, and finally causes it to cease; an extension of disease 

 which stops a person's breath is not the likeliest method of prolong- 

 ing life, which it must be presumed is the end of every agency 

 which may be termed curative. 



8. A wound of the foot may produce tetanus: it has never been 

 found that the state of tetanus was particularly conducive to the 

 healing of a wound. These instances, as well as those of our first 

 class, may be greatly multiplied; but we rather want to make correct 

 inferences from these examples than add to their number. 



16. Our conclusion from these facts brings us back to the 

 division which was prefixed to them, viz. of related diseases ; some 

 exemplify a substitution, and others a mere extension of them : in 

 the former, the secondary is curative of the primary ; in the latter, the 

 phenomena of disease are multiplied, and in every seat they run their 

 own course, sometimes with an obvious aggravation of the primary 

 by the re-action of the secondary disease, but more commonly with 

 no other communication or influence than that which is inferred of 

 the secondary in regard to the primary disease, from analogy with 

 sensible causation. 



17. But, it may be inquired, although in these cases of extended 

 disease the secondary does never cure the primary, may not the 

 tendency of it be to cure? would it not cure the primary, provided 

 it did not kill in the attempt ; or, by being extended to the wrong 

 seat? There is absurdity in these questions, although there are not 

 wanting those who would be so simple as to ask them. The ques- 

 tions amount to this: if a wound which produces tetanus, instead 

 of affecting the nervous and muscular systemi in this manner, were 



