MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS. 



Means of diagnosis. Usual health of the subject. History of the attack. 

 Objective symptoms, interdependent disease, fever, diseases that may be 

 confounded, subsidiary disease, diagnostic signs, organ involved, patholog- 

 ical test injections, course of disease, sporadic or zymotic, result of treat- 

 ment. 



Diagnosis is the determination of the seat and nature of a given 

 disease and its distinction from other morbid conditions. Its im- 

 portance to the practitioner cannot be overestimated as it occupies 

 the pivotal position between causes, nature, morbid phenomena, 

 and symptoms on the one hand, and prognosis, prevention, and 

 treatment on the other. Unless the conclusions are sound as to 

 causes, nature, lesions, and symptoms, there can be no certain 

 diagnosis, and without a correct diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, 

 and treatment can have no intelligent or scientific basis. The 

 practitioner who finds a dropsical condition and who is satisfied to 

 pronounce it dropsy and institute treatment is abusing his trust. 

 • He must find whether this dropsy results from disease of the kid- 

 neys, heart, blood-vessels, lymphatics, liver, lungs, bowels, or 

 the structures in which it is shown ; whether it is due to para- 

 sites or imperfect sanguification or to other morbid conditions, 

 before he dare prescribe treatment and predict results. So in 

 every other affection ; the failure to make a correct diagnosis 

 opens to the practitioner many doors of error, and he is happy in- 

 deed if he can escape the injuring of his patient. 



In seeking a sound diagnosis we must attend to the following 

 among other indications : 



ist. The habitual state of health of the subject. The genus, 

 breed, age, environment, habits, (pet dog, watch dog, hound, 

 sheep-dog, ox, bull, cow, milch cow, sheep in the field or housed, 

 pig in pen or at large, diet, regimen, water, race horse, draught 

 horse, work, exposure, etc. ) as well as the personal equation of 

 temperament, idiosyncrasy, heredity, etc., must all be carefully 

 considered. 



2d. The history of the present illness as to its apparent cause, 

 mode of invasion, duration and progress. 



3d. The objective symptoms by which it is manifested. All 

 that can be ascertained in the way of symptomatology, local and 

 general, the probable existence of interdependent disease, and all 

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