24 DISKASi:S ov poii.tky. 



2. To secure the repair of the affected tissues is also 

 a very important object of medication. Wounds may 

 require stimulating or astringent treatment; inflamma- 

 tions may be reduced l)y cooling applications or by seda - 

 tives; an ancemic condition is counteracted by tonics; 

 the congestion of an internal organ may be relieved by 

 inducing increased circulation at the surface of the body 

 either by heat or counter -irritation. These are ex- 

 amples of treatment applied to relieve the abnormal 

 condition and secure the repair of the diseased part. 

 When the cause of the disease has ceased to act, this 

 line of treatment should be adopted, if possible. 



3. There are, unfortunately, many cases in which it 

 is neither possible to adopt treatment for the removal 

 of the cause or the repair of the affected part. In such 

 cases we are limited to symptomatic inedication. The 

 effort then is to mitigate the alarming and dangerous 

 symptoms. There are many conditions in which such 

 a course is of great advantage. Thus, when the forces 

 of the body are weakened or exhausted this state may 

 be temporarily relieved with stimulants; when the 

 temperature is dangerously high, it may be reduced by 

 appropriate remedies ; when pain is severe it may be 

 arrested by drugs which act upon the nerves ; when 

 there is constipation, laxatives or purgatives may be 

 indicated, and when there is purging it may be stopped 

 with medicines having the opposite effect; for spas- 

 modic contractions of the muscles, there is a class oi 

 medicines called antispasmodics ; and there are drugs 

 which increase the various secretions. It is plain, 

 therefore, that while removing the cause of disease, and 

 working for the repair of the affected parts are scientific 

 and essential plans of treatment, the symptomatic 



