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to produce a gentle diarrhoea, would not then the state of the wound 

 be probably benefited by such a consequence? The question is 

 best answered by observing, that if no other relations were exhibited 

 but such as are curative, we should then have curative relations in 

 disease, and no others. If a disease of one seat cannot get well 

 unless it is cured by disease of another, how happens it that the state 

 of disease ever ceases at all? A first disease, it is said, requires a 

 second to cure it; and what cures the second? a third, it must be 

 replied; and so on in infinitum. It is obvious that some organ must 

 have the power of returning to health without being restored to this 

 state by additional disease; and there is no reason why the secon- 

 dary seat should be more lucky in this respect than the primary seat 

 of disease. The same sagacious reasoners observing that one 

 disease is sometimes preventive of another, as a diarrhoea of a 

 disorder of the head, or a cutaneous eruption of a disease of I he lungs, 

 have wisely concluded that disease is salutary: to this magnanimous 

 inference it may be modestly replied, that though it is better to have 

 a little disease than a great one, yet it may be doubted whether it is 

 not better to enjoy the state of uninterrupted health without any 

 disease at all. The most that can be said of diseases, which, as they 

 exist, are merely extended, is, that from their analogy to the substi- 

 tuted diseases, they may sometimes be expected to operate favourably 

 upon the state of primary disease by progressive causation; that 

 one would not always check a secondary disease in a safe seat, upon 

 the ground that secondary is sometimes remedial of primary disease. 



18. There are others who would attribute all diseases to some 

 particular accompaniment of disease: thus, fever, say they, is pro- 

 duced by an accelerated action of the heart; and what accelerates 

 the action of the heart? a previous change of the principle which 

 governs its motions ; a change, the general history of which it has 

 been attempted to describe. Another disorder is said to be pro^ 

 duced by a determination of blood, as to the head or lungs; and 

 why does a particular determination of blood take place to any seat? 

 say it arises from an enlarged or disproportional calibre of its vessels ; 

 and why does this disproportionate calibre take place ? either from de- 

 fect or modification of a vital property which governs the calibre of 

 vessels, or from a fault in their mechanical constitution: if the former, 

 we understand no more than that vague notion that some change has 

 taken place in the identity of the governing principle, which directly 

 produces the effect or symptom in question; if the preternatural 

 calibre arises from a fault in the mechanical constitution of vessels, 

 this modification of a structure must be preceded by that peculiarity 

 of the principle which forms it, to which, directly or indirectly, in 

 some or other of its seats (as has been many times shewn), peculiarity, 

 whether in the chymical or the mechanical department, is ultimately 

 in every instance to be attributed. 



19. There are others who will talk about spasms: thus, say 

 they, fever is produced by spasm of the extreme vessels. To say- 

 nothing about the bare assumption in this case, if spasm produces 

 K R 



