ON INFLAMMATION 137 



with phenomena, largely or principally nervine in origin, 

 and sequence, in the evolution and involution of physio- 

 logical as well as pathological phenomena. 



Thus the preliminary arteriolic contraction within the 

 area of the experiment or disease is due to vaso-motor 

 influence, emanating from the primary irritation or shock, 

 acting through the controlling nervature of the blood 

 vessel musculature concerned, while the succeeding dilata- 

 tion, and consequent hyperaemia of the local vasculature, 

 are due in turn to a temporary paralysis succeeding the 

 violent contraction of the vessel walls, with a consequent 

 temporary acceleration of movement of the now less 

 opposed inrushing blood streams. The subsequent pheno- 

 mena of haemal or circulatory retardation, oscillation, 

 stasis, and, it may be, thrombosis are very much due to 

 the altering hydrostatics of an increasingly viscous fluid, 

 plus the modifying influence of the vital structures 

 necessarily nervine involved, by which the further pheno- 

 mena of exudation of more, or less, or all of the blood 

 elements take place, and are followed by a subsequent 

 series of modifying, destructive, absorptive, and cell pro- 

 liferative processes, eventuating in the restoration, as nearly 

 as possible, of the textural conditions existing in the pre- 

 inflammatory state, and exhibiting one of the most 

 complete and impressive pictures of the benignant working 

 of the vis medicatrix nature in the spontaneous and suc- 

 cessful treatment of a diseased condition. 



Directing and accomplishing all these phenomena, etio- 

 logical, pathological, and curative, is an unseen but potent 

 vital agency, the sympathetico-nervine, the originally 

 formative agency, and the nutritive medium in all organic 

 vital processes, the sustainer of life and averter of death. 



The vascular paralysis alluded to, as consequent on the 

 hyper-contraction of the traumatised arterioles, produces, 

 through the enlargement of the lumina of the vessels 

 concerned, a collateral separation of the endothelial cells 

 lining their walls, a consequent facility for leakage of the 

 component parts of their haemal contents, according to 

 their respective mobility and fluidity, first, therefore, of 

 the liquor sanguinis ; second, of the white corpuscles ; 

 and third, in some cases only, of the red corpuscles. These 



