IN DISEASES. 267 



have enabled us to judge, to depend entirely upon the conditions 

 which accompany this disease ; thus, in inflammatory affections, 

 the blood presents the same composition as in inflammations, while 

 in those cases in which there is considerable loss of blood from 

 haemoptysis, or when profusely discharging intestinal ulcers or 

 colliquative sweats are present, all the solid constituents of the 

 blood, excepting the salts, decrease, as do also the blood-cells with 

 even greater rapidity. Dropsy is not often associated with tuber- 

 culosis, but when this combination does occur, the blood presents 

 the appearance of hydrsemia. 



The blood has not yet been very carefully examined in carci- 

 noma ; it is, however, worthy of notice that Popp, as well as Heller, 

 and recently also v. Gorup-Besanez,* have discovered an increase 

 of fibrin in carcinoma, even when unassociated with febrile affec- 

 tions. (It is certainly not shown whether the substance in excess 

 was true fibrin.) The number of the blood-corpuscles is somewhat 

 diminished. When dropsy is associated with cancer, the blood 

 becomes hydrsemic. As the solid constituents of the serum are 

 not often abnormally increased, we cannot suppose that there is 

 any serous or albuminous crasis in carcinoma. 



Although we should naturally expect to find that the consti- 

 tution of the blood undergoes a special alteration in diabetes, no 

 such change has as yet been discovered; for, excepting its increased 

 quantity of sugar, it presents nearly the same composition as normal 

 blood. It is somewhat more watery, and contains less fibrin, but the 

 blood-cells and solid constituents of the serum are only slightly 

 diminished (v. Gorup-Besanez even found them increased). The 

 serum sometimes exhibits a milky turbidity (Thomson). 



The conception or idea of scrophulosis is as indefinite as that of 

 chronic rheumatism and arthritis; and hence no scientific investi- 

 gation of the blood in those conditions can be entered upon, for 

 the blood must necessarily possess a different constitution when 

 the scrofulous swellings of the cervical glands arise from ulcers on 

 the pharyngeal mucous membrane, and when they depend upon 

 tuberculous deposits. The constitution of the blood cannot be 

 the same when uric-acid concretions are deposited in the joints, 

 and when necrosis, osteoporosis, or osteosclerosis is established in 

 consequence of periostitis. It has been asserted that the blood in 

 scrofula is remarkable for its poverty of cells (Nicholsonf), and 



* Arch. f. physiol. Heilk. Bd. 8, S. 523525. 

 t Lancet. Nov. 1845, p. 451. 



