DISEASES OF THE EYE. 5a 



It has been argued, however, that the immediate effect of blood- 

 letting justifies the practice. But, assuming it is granted that 

 in some cases the pain is for a time relieved by bleeding, and 

 that in pneumonia the respiration temporarily becomes more free, 

 at what a cost are those advantages obtained, should the patient 

 l)e so weakened as to be unable to rally ! Even if he does rally, 

 a large bleeding almost always prolongs the disease. Of course, 

 we are now speaking of a true pneumonia, and not of that com- 

 bination of symptoms commonly called a chill, or lung fever. 



4th Prop. — That an inflammation once established can not bt 

 cut short, and that the object of judicious medical practice is to 

 conduct it to a favorable termination. 



There was a time when it was supposed that the progress of 

 influenza, distemper, and many other specific fevers which are now 

 generally allowed to run their natural course, could be arrested by 

 medical interference. But with regard to them has been estab- 

 lished the principles, first, of prevention, and, second, when this 

 ffrils, of simply conducting them to a favorable termination. 



It appears to me that the same rule ought to hold with regard 

 t > internal inflammations, and that this will be admitted when it 

 h made apparent, not only that every inflammation, once formed, 

 r ins through a definite course, but what that course is. This I 

 now proceed shortly to consider. If a violent blow or injury has 

 been received, a greater or less amount of exudation is infiltrated 

 among the contused and torn tissues, which undergo disintegra- 

 tion, is absorbed and excreted from the economy ; if not, it col- 

 lects, in the form of a fluid, and constitutes an abscess. The 

 series of changes here referred to have always been found to bo 

 best perfected in animals of vigorous constitutions, while in the 

 weak, poor, and broken-down they proceed slowly, or not at all. 

 Surely, it can not be maintained that in cases similar to the above, 

 we can favor the reparative processess by blood-letting and low- 

 ering the strength of the economy ? 



But in internal inflammations, say of the lungs or intestines, 

 are the processes different ? Certainly not. But because the pro- 

 cesses by which Nature relieves herself have been hid from view, 

 physicians have supposed that instead of treating the inflamed 

 parts, as the surgeon does, he ought to attack the general symp- 

 toms which result from the lesion. In cases of fracture and con- 

 tusion there are also febrile symptoms, increased pulse, and so on j 



