SECT. VII. PHYSIOLOGY. 65 
has been advanced by Broussais and others, who 
allege that it is caused by inflammation. 
~exirx. If the spinal marrow within the cervical 
vertibre is always inflamed or surrounded with 
serum in tetanus, it follows that this morbid 
appearance must be either a cause or consequence 
of the disease. ‘The serous membranes are doubt- 
lessly very liable to inflammation and effusions, 
which may aggravate the spasm of tetanus, when 
they occur in the neurilema of the spinal marrow ; 
but the absence of inflammation in one instance, 
overturns the theory of its being the cause of 
tetanic spasm. Such a case I have been informed 
has been found, but not having seen it, I shall lay 
little stress upon it. Serous effusions are found in 
abundance in the cholera of India, but they are 
invariably the consequences, and not the causes of 
spasm. To the serous effusions in spasm, Bontius 
called the attention of physicians a hundred and 
twenty years ago, but till of late this subject has 
been unaccountably neglected. 
cL. If tetanus be an idiopathic inflammatory 
disease, how comes it that the blood is more liquid 
than natural, and that the animal heat is not 
raised ? How comes it, that, when a patient suffer- 
ing from tetanus is attacked by fever, the spasms 
are dispelled? Hippocrates was the first who 
observed this fact, which has not, however, had 
that weight with physicians which it deserves, 
I 
