OBSERYER AND RECOR 



OF AGRICULTURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. 



EDITED BY D. PEIRCE. 



No. 5.] 



Pliiladclptiin, Monday, February 4, 1S39. 



[Vol. I. 



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BRUNONIAN SYSTEM. 



Continued Jrom page 61, of No. 4. 



To illustrate still farther the nature of 

 these two forms of disease we must ob- 

 serve their respective causes, Sthenia o'r 

 excessive strength, is simply the effect of 

 many or powerful stimuli acting on the 

 system. Asthenia is the immediate effect 

 of withdrawing these ; but asthenia is 

 not so simple as its opposite state for 

 debility varies in its nature according to 

 its various causes, — 1st By abstraction of 

 exciting powers is produced a species of 

 debility named direct. — 2nd By long or 

 violent application of strong exciting pow- 

 ers, the excitability is exhausted; both the 

 excitement anrl the strength fail; this 

 species of debility is named indirect. — 

 3rd When the exciting powers are with- 

 drawn, and the direct debility produced, 

 it is at the same time combined with a 

 new species. By merely withdrawing the 

 stimuli, such weakness would be produced 

 as should be temporary only, and might 

 be done away by restoring the usual ex- 

 citing powers; but where the stimuli are 

 withdrawn, excitability is accumulated, 

 and when it is accumulated to an undue 

 degree, it cannot bear the usual stimuli, 

 and will not give out the healthy degree 

 of excitement. Thus, direct debility 

 caused by the absence of exciting power, 

 is attended with accumulation of excita- 

 bility. In direct debility, caused by su- 

 perabundant stimuli is attended with ex- 

 hausted excitability. The former is most 

 easily cured, as we have but to apply 



stimuli and raise the excitement; the lat 

 ter is cured with difficulty; for the excita- 

 bility, being in same degree exhausted, 

 the system is less susceptible, and has less 

 excitability to operate upon for the restora- 

 tion of health. The abstraction of stimuli 

 is the immediate cause of weakness; high 

 excitement is a state of the system which 

 the excitability cannot long endure with- 

 out being exhausted, so that stimuli them- 

 selves produce ultimate weakness. Since, 

 therefore, high excitement is temporary 

 only, and has but one cause while weak- 

 ness is a permanent state, and has many 

 causes, the diseases of debility must in a 

 ver}^ great proportion exceed in number 

 the diseases of excessive strength; and 

 diseases of excessive strength must ulti- 

 mately end there. 



If ninety seven of a hundred diseases 

 arise from weakness the conclusion must 

 be of the first importance in practice. 

 Hence it is a general principle in the sys- 

 tem, that though there are many individual 

 diseases, there are but two states of the 

 system, and two general methods of cure; 

 and though it admits the difference be- 

 tween local and general diseases, yet it 

 does not allow that a local sthenic disease 

 can exist for any timo along with a general 

 asthenic diathesis or vise versa. For the 

 cure of all those diseases which stand above 

 the point of health nothing more is re- 

 quired than withdrawing the stimuli of 

 food, drink, heat, 4-c. or by evacuation 

 as bleeding, vomiting, purging, &c. For 

 all these diseases which stand below the 



