io 4 PHYSIC 



and in the name of, scientific and practical medicine and 

 surgery, but, on the contrary, claim that in these latter 

 days both have advanced with "leaps and bounds," and 

 bid fair, in the near future, to be the greatest influence for 

 physical good that humanity has known. 



In still further tracing the nature and mode of action of 

 the vis medicatrix naturae, we have been "impressed with 

 the idea" that it, the vis medicatrix, is necessarily only 

 a mode of force possessed by, or combined with, the vis 

 nature, to be exercised in the supervision and accomplish- 

 ment of organic hygiene and police, so to speak, and that 

 it resides in, belongs to, and is operated by, the sympa- 

 thetic nervous system ; thus, should a stasis of forward 

 or onward circulation, or a regurgitation of the circulated 

 substances, take place anywhere throughout the organism, 

 with a consequent admixture of the effete and fresh tissue 

 pabulum, or a pathogenic crisis of any other character, 

 take place, or should the organic continuity of any texture 

 or organ be disturbed by traumatic or other agency, we 

 observe sooner or later the play of medicatricial force on 

 the pathological conditions, and sooner or later the restora- 

 tion to physiological order of the disturbed organic ele- 

 ments in other words, the natural cure of the pathological 

 conditions so created. The systemic nervous system, 

 under these circumstances, acts a completely neutral part, 

 taking absolutely nothing to do with the problems of 

 restoration to order of disturbed circulation, or with the 

 repair of traumatic destruction. In many cases, in fact, 

 the systemic nervous system is absolutely suspended from 

 its work of conscious innervation by sleep or coma, leaving 

 the sympathetic nervous system entirely alone to effect the 

 organic operations required for the accomplishment of her 

 never-ceasing functions of repairer and vitaliser of shat- 

 tered and substituted tissue elements. In this work it, 

 the vis medicatrix nature is engaged from first to last in 

 every living form, sometimes, as in vegetable, and the 

 lowest forms of animal, life, by a solitary nervous system, 

 and sometimes, where associated with a systemic nervous 

 system, aided by reason and intelligence. 



