NUMBER AND NAMKS OF DISEASES. 45 



horse is in a measure exempt from two, and those two of 

 the most fertile sources of disease in man, viz., emotions 

 and intemperance : we have only to inspect the catalogue of 

 human nosology to see how frightfully these sources add 

 to human afflictions. 



The Names of Diseases- are of importance, because con- 

 veying notions of the seat or nature of the diseases they 

 serve to indicate. Very many of the names owe their origin 

 to some one particular symptom of the disorder : of this 

 kind are strangles, staggers, roaring, &c. While others of 

 a coarser description are only emblematic of barbarous 

 ignorance : such are grease, molten-grease, broken-ioind, 

 mourning of the chine, &c. The modern medical nomen- 

 clature will be found very appropriate ; of which "pleurisy, 

 hydrothorax, pneumonia, carditis, enteritis, cystitis, &c., 

 furnish examples. 



Nosology means the classification of diseases. In the 

 acQ^uirement of science, the utility of system or method is 

 universally acknowledged : not only is it of great use to the 

 student, it is also serviceable to the teacher. And yet, im- 

 portant as it is admitted to be, and notwithstanding that 

 men of great talent have framed systetns of nosology, 

 yet are we without one free from objection. There is not 

 much room for evincing surprise at this, when we come 

 to reflect how imperfect knowledge is of the nature of dis- 

 ease, and occasionally even of its seat : it would be as rea- 

 sonable to suppose Linnaeus could have formed his ^ Systema 

 Naturae,^ without possessing a thorough comprehension of 

 the external characteristics belonging to animals and vegeta- 

 bles, as to expect a perfect system of nosology from men 

 but imperfectly acquainted with the science they professed 

 to systematize. The only sure foundation nosology can 

 have is one grounded on anatomy and physiology. While 

 anatomy inclines us to assemble in one class all such dis- 

 eases as infest parts of identical structure; physiology points 

 out how natural it would be to class them as they affect 

 organs whose functions are similar. By pursuing the former 

 method, organs united in their economy are separated ; by 



