GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 13 



Q. What does the treatment of disease imply? 



A. A restoration of these properties to a normal state. 



Q. Give an illustration of this. 



.tf. In inflammation your object should be to reduce 

 organic sensibility; in dropsy or oedema to increase it. In 

 convulsions you must reduce animal contractility; in palsy 

 increase it. 



Q. What remedies act on sensible organic contractility? 



Jl. Emetics and purgatives. 



Q. Give examples of medicines which act on general 

 insensible organic contractility* 



t/?. Tonics, and acids. 



Q. Do any act on the insensible organic contractility of 

 particular parts? 



.#. Yes. Nitre in its action on the kidneys; mercury 

 on the salivary glands. 



Q. How do remedies act in reducing animal sensibility? 



#. By relieving pain in the parts, as by emollients; or 

 by rendering the brain insensible by narcotics. 



Q. Are medicines necessarily confined in their opera- 

 tion, to the reduction, increase or modification of any one 

 of the vital properties? 



Ji. No; they often operate on more than one of these. 



Of the Vital Properties and their Phenomena consi- 

 dered in relation to the Solids and Fluids. 



Q. Why is it not unreasonable to suppose that the fluids 

 are destitute of life? 



Ji. Because they never manifest sensibility and con- 

 tractility as do the solids. 



