154 LECTURES. 



goes, no harm ever results from its long-con- 

 tinued employment. In like manner, I think well 

 of the arctostaphylos uva ursi, believing that its 

 astringent properties materially assist Nature in 

 her endeavours to check the excessive bleeding. 

 A small quantity of hyoscyamus may be advan- 

 tageously combined with it. Our object should be, 

 I repeat, not to interfere with, but to promote 

 Nature's curative efforts. If I read the patho- 

 logical facts correctly, it seems that the vis medi- 

 catrix nature seeks to bring about this result by 

 erecting artificial barriers which serve to moderate 

 the bleeding. In this way, under ordinary cir- 

 cumstances, the life of the bearer is sustained or 

 held in the balance until the parasites either perish 

 or cease to be capable of causing active disease. 

 Depend upon it, this is the principle which should 

 guide us in our treatment of the Bilharzia dis- 

 order. If the adult parasites were merely attached 

 to the lining membrane of the bladder, then, powerful 

 diuretics and medicated injections would probably 

 prove serviceable; but since the entozoa reside in 

 the blood we must be careful not to increase our 

 patients' troubles. In the case of intestinal worms, 

 properly so called, you have seen that the most 

 powerful parasiticides may be prescribed without 

 let or hindrance ; but that drug must be a truly 

 subtle worm-poison which, when taken into the 

 system, shall effectually kill these blood- flukes 



