DEPRESSION OF VITAL POWER. 



or in all disease there is deficiency of action ; in this 

 condition, "the vital powers are depressed, and we 

 must give support ; " and in another, " the vital 

 powers are too active, and must be restrained ;" but 

 these are, after all, but arbitrary phrases, and the 

 same words are used in very different senses. 



Surely then it will be more correct to say that a 

 patient is low or weak, than to say that he is suffering 

 from a depressed state of the vital powers. The former 

 phrase asserts a fact ; the latter expresses a theory. 

 We talk of excess of action, and diminished action, 

 before we have agreed as to what we mean by the 

 terms. If we attribute rapid growth, rapid change, to 

 increased vital activity, then most unquestionably do 

 many diseases which have been accounted for by some 

 supposed diminution of vital power, really depend 

 upon an undue manifestation of vital action. 



Conclusions. It will be observed that, in these 

 conclusions, I differ materially, and in fundamental 

 principles, from the views generally entertained. Men 

 may agree as regards practice, although they differ 

 materially in opinion as to why certain measures 

 ought to be employed in a given case. But when good 

 practice rests upon unsound theory there is always 

 great danger of the practice being abandoned when the 

 theory is overthrown. This in part explains why we 

 .vacillate from one extreme of practice to the other, and 

 why to some extent, we seem to work in recurring 

 circles. Earnest men not unfrequently are found to be 



