INTUMESCENTI^E. 593 



from the communication that is readily made between the sever- 

 al parts of the cellular texture : but especially from the same 

 general causes of the disease producing their effects in every 

 part of the body. It appears to me, that the water of anasar- 

 cous swellings is more readily communicated to the cavity of 

 the thorax, and to the lungs, than to the cavity of the abdomen, 

 or to the viscera contained in it. 



MDCLXXIII. An anasarca is almost always attended with 

 a scarcity of urine ; and the urine voided, is, from -its scarcity, 

 always of a high colour ; and, from the same cause, after cool- 

 ing, readily lets fall a copious reddish sediment. This scarcity 

 of urine may sometimes be owing to an obstruction of the kid- 

 neys ; but probably is generally occasioned by the watery parts 

 of the blood running off into the cellular texture, and being 

 thereby prevented from passing in the usual quantity to the 

 kidneys. 



The disease is also generally attended with an unusual de- 

 gree of thirst ; a circumstance I would attribute to a like ab- 

 straction of fluid from the tongue and fauces, which are ex- 

 tremely sensible to every diminution of the fluid in these parts. 



MDCLXXIV. The cure of anasarca is to be attempted 

 upon three general indications. 



1. The removing the remote causes of the disease. 



2. The evacuation of the serous fluid already collected in the 

 cellular texture. 



3. The restoring the tone of the system, the loss of which 

 may be considered in many cases as the proximate cause of the 

 disease. 



MDCLXXV. The remote causes are very often such as had 

 not only been applied, but had also been removed long before 

 the disease came on. Although, therefore, their effects remain, 

 the causes themselves cannot be the objects of practice ; but 

 if the causes still continue to be applied, such as intemperance, 

 indolence, and some others, they must be removed. For the 

 most part, the remote causes are certain diseases, previous to 

 the dropsy, which are to be cured by the remedies particularly 

 adapted to them, and cannot be treated of here. The curing 

 of these, indeed, may be often difficult ; but it was proper to 

 lay down the present indication, in order to show, that when 

 VOL. n. 2 p 



