AXATOMICAL CHARACTERS. C47 



were opaque and tliickcned, the vascular much congested, 

 and seemed to contain fluid amongst its meshes ; the dura 

 mater in portions adherent, through the medium of fine 

 organized deposit, to the inner surface of the cranial bones ; 

 there was also, in some situations, a trifling amount of puri- 

 form matter mingled with the connecting structures. The 

 latter condition I attributed to the damage sustained by the 

 walls of the cranium and other structures from injury or bone- 

 disease. The appearance of the brain-substance varied much — 

 in some scarcely at all altered in colour, save where an isolated 

 capillary seemed plugged, presenting a distinct spot amidst the 

 general white cerebral matter ; in others the blood-specks and 

 general redness were very distinct, and the consistence, parti- 

 cularly of the grey matter, much impaired. In several the 

 inflammatory appearances were specially located in connection 

 with the seat of bone-disease, and there the membranes were 

 dark-coloured, soft, and thickened, seemingly disposed to 

 remove as sloughs. 



Symptoms. — In almost every attempt to detail and describe 

 inflammatory action occurring in connection with those parts 

 of the nervous system contained within the cranial cavity, 

 much time and care have been bestowed in endeavouring to 

 distinguish between the symptoms which indicate disease of 

 the coverings or membranes of the structures, and the sub- 

 stance proper of the organs themselves. 



From a scientific or pathological point of view this is both 

 interesting and necessary, and probably in many cases is 

 capable of attainment both in a general sense and also descend- 

 ing so minutely as with tolerable certainty to indicate the par- 

 ticular part of these several structures invaded. Practically, 

 however, such power in diagnosis is of less value than might 

 at first sight appear, seeing there are very few cases of inflam- 

 mation of the meninges of the brain which do not quickly 

 extend to the brain-substance, and probably also many of an 

 opposite character. The results of the most carefuUy conducted 

 observations and experiments seem to point to something like 

 the following as the symptoms we may usually expect to meet 

 with when the two diflerent textures, meningeal and cerebral, 

 are severally the seats of inflammation. 



When the membranes are primarily afl'ected there is sudden- 



