32 PHYSIC 



be regarded as peculiarly liable to infection by bacterial 

 organisms and to entrance by certain inorganic substances, 

 and to the subsequent manifestation of pathological pheno- 

 mena, as these pathogenic presences or factors exercise 

 their baneful influence along their specific lines, by writing, 

 so to speak, their individual names and characters on the 

 nervine and surrounding textures. Its intimate and struc- 

 tural relationship with every organic element of the body, 

 and its exposure to invasion from outward or external, as 

 well as internal, pathogenic agencies, render it peculiarly 

 and constantly liable to attack, while both its material and 

 dynamic work or functions cause it to exercise a powerful 

 pathological influence on its non-nervine or containing 

 structures. 



An analysis of the vascular elements of the skin, we 

 think, will reveal that the nervous system must be funda- 

 mentally concerned in every, or almost every, eruptive 

 disease to which that structure is liable, as we have con- 

 tended is the case in our study of the phenomena displayed 

 in vaccinia and vaccination. 



Constituting the proper fibro-cellulo-vascular substance 

 of the cutis vera, we recognise the presence of three well- 

 defined vascular systems, each of which, on account of 

 its vascularity, takes part in the cutaneous circulatory 

 phenomena in its individual capacity, as a vehicular agent in 

 the economy of nutrition, excretion, or imbibition. These 

 three vascular systems are respectively concerned in the 

 circulation of the blood, haemal lymph, and neural lymph, 

 and are consequently engaged in their individual capacities 

 in conveying the nutritive plasma to the cutis vera, the 

 collection and return of the haemal or resultant lymph 

 from the nourished cutis vera, and the conveyance to and 

 discharge of neural lymph, as well as effete proper nerve 

 substance, from the surface of the skin in the form of 

 vapour, sweat, and epidermic debris. 



In the division of functional work here indicated, we 

 see that the nervature of the skin alone, or almost alone, 

 is responsible for the discharge of effete materials from the 

 outer surface of the body, and, therefore, since all erup- 

 tions represent a discharge of substance from within the 

 body, it must follow that the nerve vasculature must be 



