CLASS I. 2. 3. i o. OF IRRITATION. ^ 



brane of the lungs is ufually connected with that of the other 

 parts of the fyftem. As the cells of the whole cellular mem- 

 brane communicate with 'each other, the mucilaginous fluid, 

 which remains in any part of it for want of due abforption, finks 

 down to the moft depending cells ; hence the legs f well, though 

 the caufe of the dileafe, the deficiency f abforption, may be in 

 other parts of die fyftem. The lungs however are an exception 

 to this, fince they are fufpended in the cavity of the thorax, and 

 have in confequence a depending part of their own. 



The anafarca of the lungs is known by the difficulty of ref- 

 piration accompanied with fwelled legs, and with a very irregu- 

 lar pulfe. This laft circumftance has generally been afcribed 

 to a dropfy at the fame time exifting in the pericardium, but is 

 more probably owing to the difficult paflage of the blood through 

 the lungs ; becaufe I found on diffecHon, in one inftance, that 

 the moft irregular pulfe, which I ever attended to, was owing to 

 very extenfive adhefion of the lungs , infomuch that one lobein- 

 tirely adhered to the pleura ; and fecondly, becaufe this kind of 

 r.Topfy of the lungs is fo certainly removed for a time along with 

 the anafarca of the limbs by the ufe of digitalis. 



This medicine, as well as emetic tartar, or fquill, when given 

 fo as to produce fickncfs, or naufea, or perhaps even without 

 producing either in any perceptible degree, by affe&ing the lym- 

 phatics of the ftomach, fo as either to invert their motion, or to 

 weaken them, increafes by reverie fympathy the action, and con- 

 iequent abforbent power of thefe lymphatics, which open into 

 the cellular membrane. But as thefe medicines feldom fucceed 

 in producing an abforption of thofe fluids, which ftagnate in 

 the larger cavities of the body, as in the abdomen, or cheft, and 

 do generally fucceed in this difficulty of breathing with irregu- 

 lar pulfe above defcribed, I conclude that it is not owing to an 

 effufijon of lymph into the pericardium, but fimply to an anafar- 

 ca of the lungs. 



M. M. Digitalis. See Art. V. 2. I. 2. and IV. 2. 3. 7. 

 Tobacco. Squill. Emetic tartar (antimonium tartarizatum). 

 Then Sorbentia. Chalybeates. Opium half a grain twice a 

 day. Raifm wine and water, or other wine and water, is pre- 

 ferred to the fpirit and water, which thefe patients have general- 

 ly been accuitomed to. 



I have feen two cafes, which were efteemed to be hydrotho- 



rax, but which I believed to be anafarca pulmonum, though they 



were attended with irregular pulfe ; for I do not undciTcand, 



why an irregularity of pulfe mould be occafioned by water in 



pericardium any more than by water in the lungs, or by 



any 



