S-HLfiBOTOMY 



77 



burdened with the fruitless task of driving an excessive vol- 

 ume through the impervious, hepatized areas, becomes ex- 

 hausted and embarrassed. By limited blood-letting at this 

 critical moment, the heart's labors are said to be reduced. 

 The heart is given a momentary rest. Its burden is dimin- 

 ished. Its embarrassment is temporarily removed. The 

 hypothesis upon which this treatment is based also includes 

 the benefit derived by the dilatation of the aortas which al- 

 ways follows blood-letting. If the aortas relax, as they al- 

 ways do after venesection, heart's action is facilitated. There 



Fig. 36— Fleam. 



is less counter-acting aortic pressure. In their aggregate, 

 these different actions are frequently followed by an immedi- 

 ate improvement in the dying patient's condition. Although 

 the effect is not lasting a critical period of the sickness is 

 thus sometimes bridged over into the stage of resolution. 



The treatment of the sinking pneumonia patient by blood- 

 letting has not been sufficiently tested in veterinary surgery 

 to establish its worth, but, although its theories can not be 

 accepted as absolute laws, its logic is sound. The general 

 prejudice against bleeding, even among laymen, and the fact 

 that it no longer harmonizes with modern therapeutic ideals, 

 prevents its adoption even as an experimental treatment. 



