ATROPHY 



148 



ATTENUATING 



skin, and are situated chiefly about the buttocks, 

 anterior border of the ilium, trochanters, and thighs. 

 The " spots " are less common, small, usually isolated, 

 and are seen mostly on the trunk and neck. 

 Atrophy (at'-ro-fe) \jiTpo<bla, want of nourishment] . A 

 retrogressive change in parts originally well-formed and 

 well-nourished, consisting in loss of weight, size, and 

 function of an organ or tissue, owing to some disorder 

 of nutrition, disuse, continuous pressure, or a dimin- 

 ished blood-supply to the part. A., Active, due to 

 the inherent inability of the cells of a tissue to assimi- 

 late the nutriment brought to them. A., Acute 

 Yellow. See Icterus gravis. A., Brown, a form 

 of atrophy in which the normal pigment of the organ 

 is retained, and in which there is also frequently the 

 addition of new pigment from the blood and disinte- 

 grated albuminates. It occurs most frequently in the 

 heart, muscles, and liver, and is caused by chronic 

 congestion ; also called Pigmented Atrophy. A. of 

 the Bulb, progressive shrinking of the eyeball. A., 

 Correlated, an atrophy of certain portions of the 

 body following the removal or destruction of other 

 portions. Thus amputation of an arm will be fol- 

 lowed by an atrophy of the scapula ; of a leg, of 

 the corresponding os innominatum, together with 

 a diminution in the size of the heart and large 

 blood-vessels. A., Cruveilhier's. See Diseases, 

 Table of. A., Gray, a degenerative change in the 

 optic disc in which the latter assumes a grayish color. 

 A. of Hair, a wasting or deficient growth of the 

 hair. A., Idiopathic Muscular, primary muscular 

 dystrophy ; muscular wasting, with or without an 

 initial hypertrophy, beginning in various groups of 

 muscles, usually progressive in character, and depend- 

 ent on primary changes in the muscles themselves. 

 There is a strong hereditary predisposition to the dis- 

 ease. A., Muscular, affects the muscles and may be 

 hereditary or acquired, idiopathic, myelopathic, myo- 

 pathic, neuropathic, primary, secondary, simple, or 

 progressive. A., Passive, caused by diminished 

 nutrition supplied to the part. A., Pigmentary, so 

 called from a deposit of pigment (yellow or yellowish- 

 brown) in the atrophied fat-cells. A., Pigmented. 

 See A., Brown. A., Progressive Muscular; 

 Chronic Anterior Poliomyelitis ; Wasting Palsy. A 

 chronic disease characterized by progressive wasting 

 of individual muscles or physiologic groups of mus- 

 cles, and by an associated and proportional amount 

 of paralysis. It is due to a degeneration and atrophy 

 of the multipolar cells in the anterior gray matter of 

 the cord, with consecutive degeneration of the anterior 

 nerve-roots and muscles. ' The right hand is usually 

 the part first attacked, and it takes on a peculiar claw- 

 like form {main en griff e). The disease is most fre- 

 quent in males of adult life, and follows excessive 

 muscular exertion. A., Progressive Unilateral 

 Facial, a disease characterized by progressive wasting 

 of the skin, connective tissue, fat, bone, and more 

 rarely the muscles of one side of the face. It is most 

 common in females ; its course is slow and generally 

 progressive. Opinions vary as to whether the disease 

 is central or peripheral in origin. A., Red, a form 

 of cirrhosis of the liver due to chronic congestion, as 

 seen in mitral and tricuspid valvular lesions. It is also 

 seen in emphysema and chronic pleurisy with contrac- 

 tion. The cut surface of the liver presents a nutmeg 

 appearance, and is therefore called the nutmeg liver. 

 A., Serous, that characterized by a transudation of 

 serum into the tissue after the fat has gone, giving 

 it a gelatinous appearance. A. Senile, the physio- 

 logical variety of Simple Atrophy. A., Simple, the 

 retrogressive processes and shrinking due to patho- 



logic causes, allied to the physiologic retrogression of 

 senility, but occurring, as it were, prematurely. A. 

 of the Teeth, a name formerly used to designate 

 erosion of the teeth, an affection characterized either 

 by perforations in, or discolored spots of a shriveled, 

 yellowish, or brownish aspect, on the enamel, of two, 

 four, or more teeth in each jaw. A., Trophoneuro- 

 tic, that dependent upon abnormality of the nervous 

 supply or control of an organ or tissue, best illustrated 

 in muscular atrophy from injury of the proper nerves 

 of the muscle, or in disease of the anterior horns of 

 gray matter of the cord. 

 Atropina, or Atropin {at-ro-pi' '-nah ; at'-ro-pin) [ v Arpo- 

 iroc, one of the Fates who cut the thread of life : 

 gen., Atropiniv~\, C 17 H 2S NO s . A crystalline alka- 

 loid derived from Atropa belladonna. The sulphate 

 is a white powder of bitter taste, neutral reaction, 

 soluble in water. Homatropin. C 16 H 21 N0 3 , is a de- 

 rivative alkaloid, the hydrobromate being used by 

 ophthalmologists as a mydriatic, principally because 

 its effects pass off more quickly than those of atropin. 

 Homatropin slows 'the heart, atropin quickens it. 

 Atropin is an irritant narcotic, a mydriatic, antispas- 

 modic, and anodyne ; in small doses a cardiac, respira- 

 tory, and spinal stimulant, in large doses a paralyzant 

 of the cardiac and respiratory centers, the spinal cord, 

 motor nerves, and voluntary muscles. It produces 

 congestion and dryness of the mucous membrane of 

 the mouth, nose, pharynx, and larynx, at first lessen- 

 ing the gastric and intestinal secretion, to be followed 

 by an increase of the same. It is extensively used 

 in ophthalmic practice to dilate the pupil, paralyze 

 accommodation, and also in various corneal, iritic, and 

 other ocular diseases. Its therapeutic use in general 

 medicine is also manifold; e.g., in inflammatory 

 affections and the pain of cerebral and spinal hypere- 

 mia, atonic constipation, cardiac failure, hypersecre- 

 tions, etc., and as a physiologic antagonist in opium 

 poisoning. Dose of atropin sulphate gr. y^-^V 

 Injectio Homatropina Hypodermica, I in 120. 

 Dose gr. y^-^V A. -catarrh. See Conjunctivitis, 

 Atropin. A. -conjunctivitis. See Conjunctivitis. 

 Atropinism {at'-ro-pin-izm). See Alropism. 

 Atropinize {at'-ro-pin-iz) [* Arpowoc']. To bring under 



the influence of, or treat with atropin. 

 Atropism {at' '-ro-pizni) ['Arpojroc]. Poisoning with, 



or the morbid condition induced by, atropin. 

 Attachement {at-tash'-mon(g)) [Fr.]. In massage, 

 concentric curves eccentric ; starting from a point 

 taken as a center, one describes, by circular move- 

 ments, circumferences wider and wider till the outside 

 of the part is reached ; return is then made by circles 

 smaller and smaller till the starting point is reached. 

 Attack {at-tak') [Fr., attaque\ The onset of a seizure 



or of a disease. 

 Attar {at'-ar) [Pers. , ata>\ A general name for any of 

 the volatile oils. A. of Rose, Oil of Rose. The vol- 

 atile oil distilled from the fresh flowers of the Damas- 

 cene rose. It comes mainly from E. Roumelia and 

 is generally adulterated with other volatile oils. It 

 is used only as a perfume. 

 Attendant {at-ten' -dant) [attendere, to attend]. A non- 

 professional attache of an asylum or hospital, espe- 

 cially of an insane asylum. 

 Attention {at-ten' -shun) [attcntio, a giving heed toj. 

 The direction of the will or thought upon an object or 

 to a particular sensation. A. Time. See Time. 

 Attenuant {at-ten' -u-ant) [altenuare, to make thin]. A 

 medicine or agent increasing the fluidity or thinness of 

 the blood or other secretion. 

 Attenuating {at-ten' -u-a-ting) [atlenuare, to make thin]. 

 Making thin A. Medium. See Fractional Cultivation. 



