Treatment of Vascular Diseases. J 95 



the deposits from the blood are less in quantity, and the inter- 

 stitial absorption diminishes the distance to the surface, the 

 skin over the aneurism becomes soft and discoloured, and on 

 the slough being detached, the patient dies of haemorrhage. 

 How distressing is it to follow the gradual progress of those 

 fatal cases which involve the large internal trunks, when 

 no hope can be extended to the patient who feels conscious 

 of his approaching, fearful, death ; while his senses are 

 unblunted, his mental faculties unclouded, and his yearnings 

 after the pleasures of this world undiminished ! In such 

 cases the treatment by depletion, recommended by Valsalva, 

 affords a very inadequate resource, and the principles of 

 treatment proposed by John Hunter, and so ably put in 

 practice by Abernethy, Cooper, Physic, Lawrence, and many 

 others, too often prove unsuccessful, or inapplicable. 



If blood be consolidated, by increasing its vitality, we have 

 a plan of treatment which may often be used with advantage, 

 even in the most unpromising cases. This was stated in 

 my former Essays ; since which time, I have in vain endea- 

 voured to find opportunities to put it in practice for the cure 

 of aneurisms ; these diseases being seldom seen in tropical 

 climates,* from the weakness, and relaxed habit of body of 

 the natives, which render them rarely the subject of such 

 diseases. I presume, however, the following remarks will not 

 be uninteresting to the profession, as explaining a method 

 which may be employed in the case of a class of diseases 

 which are always dangerous, and most commonly fatal. 



The modifications which I would propose in the common 

 treatment of aneurisms, may be reduced to the following 

 heads : — 



When an aneurism is superficial, recent, soft, and com- 

 pressible, methodical pressure may be made along the 



* We are inclined to think them more common than the author sup- 

 poses. — Ed. 



