TEXT-BOOK OF 



GENERAL THERAPEUTICS 



FOR VETERINARIANS 



INTRODUCTION 



Natural and Artificial Healing. — In the healing of disease two 

 possibilities are to be considered. The disease is healed by the 

 curative forces of nature without the assistance of medicines 

 (natural healing), or artificial — i.e., medical — healing processes 

 are necessary (artificial healing). Whether a disease can be left to 

 nature's powers or whether medical treatment is expedient or neces- 

 sary is the question which the therapeutist must first consider 

 carefully in every case. What may be healed by nature? What 

 may be healed by medical treatment? To these questions may be 

 added a third: What is usually incurable? 



1. What May be Healed by Nature? — The answer to this 

 question may be based upon clinical observations and experi- 

 mental investigations in general surgery and pathology. In sur- 

 gery as well as in pathology it has been demonstrated repeatedly 

 that the natural healing force and the regenerative capacity of the 

 individual tissue cells and organs are extraordinarily great. The 

 spontaneous healing of wounds and fractures of bones, the reactive 

 protective processes of the body in inflammation (local leucocy- 

 tosis) and in fever (general leucocytosis), the spontaneous checking 

 of hemorrhage, the organization of a thrombus, the encapsulation 

 of purulent areas and of foreign bodies, the restoration of epi- 

 thelium and of nerve-fibres, the formation of anastomoses, anky- 

 loses (spavin, ring bone), and nearthroses, the throwing off of gan- 

 grenous parts, the resorption processes in pneumonia and pleurisy, 

 the compensatory processes of the heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs, 

 the spontaneous healing and natural immunity of the infectious 



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