﻿OF 
  THE 
  DOCTEINE 
  OF 
  VITAL 
  AFFINITY. 
  399 
  

  

  the 
  theory 
  of 
  Inflammation. 
  It 
  being 
  sufficiently 
  obvious, 
  that 
  inflammation 
  is 
  

   strictly 
  a 
  vital 
  process, 
  and 
  one 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  blood 
  through 
  the 
  affected 
  

   part 
  is 
  materially 
  changed, 
  it 
  was 
  naturally 
  supposed 
  that 
  the 
  vital 
  powers 
  by 
  

   which 
  that 
  movement 
  is 
  affected 
  in 
  the 
  natural 
  state, 
  must 
  be 
  those 
  which 
  undergo 
  

   modification 
  in 
  this 
  diseased 
  state 
  ; 
  when, 
  therefore, 
  it 
  was 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  only 
  

   truly 
  vital 
  power 
  concerned 
  in 
  the 
  organic 
  functions 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  body 
  is 
  one 
  form 
  

   or 
  other 
  of 
  contractility, 
  the 
  only 
  explanations 
  of 
  the 
  phenomena 
  of 
  inflammation 
  

   that 
  were 
  attempted 
  turned 
  on 
  the 
  possible 
  modifications 
  of 
  the 
  contractile 
  powers 
  

   of 
  vessels, 
  as 
  influenced 
  by 
  their 
  contents 
  or 
  through 
  their 
  nerves. 
  But 
  I 
  believe 
  it 
  

   is 
  now 
  pretty 
  generally 
  admitted, 
  that 
  all 
  this 
  was 
  nearly 
  lost 
  labour 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  phy- 
  

   siologists 
  had 
  earlier 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  fundamental 
  and 
  characteristic 
  of 
  all 
  

   strictly 
  vital 
  actions, 
  — 
  those 
  by 
  which 
  nutrition 
  and 
  secretion 
  are 
  effected, 
  and 
  

   which 
  have 
  always 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  of 
  a 
  chemical 
  character, 
  take 
  place, 
  not 
  in 
  vessels, 
  

   but 
  in 
  cells, 
  independently 
  of 
  any 
  contractions 
  of 
  the 
  organs 
  containing 
  the 
  fluids 
  

   — 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  most 
  obvious 
  in 
  those 
  living 
  beings 
  which 
  have 
  neither 
  heart, 
  

   arteries, 
  nor 
  veins 
  ; 
  — 
  and 
  that, 
  as 
  occurring 
  in 
  the 
  higher 
  animals, 
  they 
  are 
  carried 
  

   en 
  partly 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  fluids 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  vessels, 
  and 
  partly 
  in 
  the 
  

   matter 
  that 
  has 
  exuded 
  from 
  the 
  vessels 
  and 
  lies 
  exterior 
  to 
  them, 
  — 
  they 
  would 
  

   sooner 
  have 
  perceived, 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  changes 
  of 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  organs 
  of 
  circulation, 
  

   heart, 
  arteries, 
  or 
  capillaries, 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  inflammation, 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  

   effects 
  of 
  the 
  truly 
  essential, 
  fundamental, 
  and 
  strictly 
  vital 
  changes, 
  which 
  take 
  

   place 
  in 
  the 
  fluids 
  of 
  an 
  inflamed 
  part, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  relation 
  between 
  the 
  fluids 
  and 
  

   solids 
  there 
  ; 
  i. 
  e., 
  in 
  matter 
  which 
  is 
  apparently 
  at 
  rest, 
  and 
  much 
  of 
  which, 
  

   being 
  outside 
  the 
  vessels 
  of 
  the 
  part, 
  has 
  escaped 
  from 
  all 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  vital 
  

   contractions 
  either 
  of 
  heart 
  or 
  vessels. 
  

  

  I 
  do 
  not 
  say 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  explanation 
  of 
  inflammation 
  merely 
  by 
  

   taking 
  this 
  view 
  of 
  it, 
  — 
  regarding 
  it 
  as 
  fundamentally 
  a 
  perversion 
  of 
  nutrition 
  or 
  

   secretion, 
  and 
  the 
  circulation 
  as 
  only 
  secondarily 
  affected 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  maintain 
  that 
  

   in 
  this 
  way 
  we 
  can 
  understand, 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  explain, 
  by 
  reference 
  to 
  more 
  general 
  

   facts, 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  sound 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  diseased 
  body, 
  many 
  facts 
  

   as 
  to 
  it, 
  which 
  we 
  never 
  understand 
  at 
  all 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  we 
  think 
  only 
  of 
  altered 
  

   action 
  of 
  vessels, 
  — 
  but 
  which 
  are 
  easily 
  arranged 
  along 
  with 
  others 
  previously 
  known, 
  

   when 
  we 
  regard 
  them 
  only 
  as 
  indications 
  of 
  changes 
  in 
  vital 
  actions 
  that 
  are 
  con- 
  

   stantly 
  going 
  on 
  in 
  living 
  fluids, 
  both 
  those 
  contained 
  in 
  vessels, 
  and 
  those 
  recently 
  

   delivered 
  from 
  them, 
  into 
  the 
  cellular 
  structure 
  of 
  living 
  parts. 
  Thus, 
  we 
  can 
  

   perceive 
  how 
  inflammation 
  should 
  spread, 
  as 
  it 
  does, 
  not 
  along 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  vessels, 
  

   but 
  from 
  a 
  point 
  as 
  from 
  a 
  centre, 
  — 
  not 
  only 
  along 
  continuous 
  surfaces, 
  but 
  to 
  con- 
  

   tiguous 
  surfaces 
  lying 
  beside 
  them, 
  but 
  supplied 
  from 
  other 
  vessels, 
  the 
  larger 
  

   branches 
  of 
  which 
  frequently 
  undergo 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  process 
  ; 
  thus 
  we 
  

   can 
  perceive 
  how 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  effusions 
  and 
  exudations 
  from 
  the 
  blood 
  in 
  in- 
  

   flamed 
  parts 
  should 
  bear 
  no 
  fixed 
  proportion 
  to 
  any 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  heart, 
  or 
  of 
  

  

  