234 PARALYSIS OF SECT. XXVIII. i. 



SECT. XXVIII. 



OF THE PARALYSIS OF THE ABSORBENT SYSTEM. 



I. Paralyfts of the laEleals^ atrophy. Diftajle to animal food. II. 



Caufe of dropfy. Caufe of herpes. Scrofula. Mefenteric con- 



fumption. Pulmonary confumption. Why ulcers in the lungs are 

 fo difficult to heal. 



THE term paralyfishas generally been ufed to exprefs the lofs 

 of voluntary motion, as in the hemiplegia, but may with equal 

 propriety be applied to exprefs the difobediency of the mufcu- 

 lar fibres to the other kinds of ftimulus ; as to thofe of irritation 

 or fenfation. 



I. There is a fpecies of atrophy, which has not been well un- 

 derftood ; when the abforbent veiTels of the ftomach and intef- 

 tines have been long inured to the ftimulus of too much fpirit- 

 uous liquor, they at length, either by the too fudden omiffion of 

 fermented or fpirituous potation, or from the gradual decay of 

 nature, become in a certain degree paralytic ; now it is obferv- 

 ed in the larger mufcles of the body, when one fide is paralytic, 

 the other is more frequently in motion, owing to the lefs expen- 

 diture of fenforial power in the paralytic limbs \ fo in this cafe 

 the other part of the abforbent fyftem afts with greater force, 

 or with greater perfeverance, in confequence of the paralyfis of 

 the la&eals ; and the body becomes greatly emaciated in a fmall 

 time. 



I have feen feveral patients in this difeafe, of which the fol- 

 lowing are the circum fiances. I. They were men about fifty 

 years of age, and had lived freely in refpecl to fermented liquors. 

 2. They loft their appetite to animal food, 3. They became 

 fuddenly emaciated to a great degree. 4. Their fkins were dry 

 and rough. 5. They coughed and expectorated with difficulty 

 a vifcid phlegm. 6. The membrane of the tongue was dry 

 and red, and liable to become ulcerous. 



The inability to digeft animal food, and the confequent dif- 

 tafte to it, generally precede the dropfy, and other difeafes, 

 which originate from fpirituous potation. I fuppofe when the 

 ftomach becomes inirritable, that there is at the fame time a de- 

 ficiency of gaftric acid ; hence milk feldom agrees with thefe 

 patients, unlefs it be previoufly curdled, as they have not fuffi- 

 cient gaftric acid to curdle it ; and hence vegetable food, which 

 is itfelf acefcent, .will agree with their ftomachs longer than an- 

 imalfood, which requires more of the gaftric acid forits digeftion. 



In 



