568 
ON INFLAMMATORY FEVER IN CATTLE. 
any disease by reference to peculiar conditions of the circulating 
fluid are viewed with some suspicion; yet, whilst justly shunning 
many of the false doctrines formerly entertained by the humoral 
pathologist, it is necessary not to suffer ourselves to be so far 
biassed either in favour of one or other theory as to deter us from 
instituting investigation into the nature of diseases in all their bear- 
ings. The condition of system favourable for attacks of inflamma- 
tory fever, induced by the predisposing causes just described, is 
evidently one of plethora ; and can it be deemed unfair to suppose 
that in such condition the circulating fluid is of a somewhat different 
quality than when the system is in an opposite state? But, setting 
aside negative reasoning on this head, there are ascertained facts 
which go to prove that the component constituents of the blood 
undergo variation in their relative proportion to each other, under 
different states of the body both in health and disease. These pro- 
portions of the various parts of the blood which may be said to 
exist in ordinary states of the system, and may be stated as, albumen 
80, corpuscles or globules 127, water 790, fibrin 3, in 1000 parts 
of blood, are undoubtedly the best at once to facilitate its circula- 
tion, and at the same time to promote deposition of its nutritious 
particles. Are there, then, any conditions of system in health or 
disease where examinations into these constituent parts have been 
instituted so as to prove under what circumstances their relative 
proportions have undergone alteration ? 
Andral* has shewn that in plethora, anemia, active inflamma- 
tion, fever, and even in some local diseases, such alteration does not 
exist ; and while it would be misplaced here to enter into a dis- 
quisition as to the purposes fulfilled by the constituents of the 
blood in the economy of the organic functions, I cannot, for illustra- 
tion of my ideas on this subject, do less than briefly advert to certain 
changes that have been demonstrated as existing in their reciprocal 
relations in systems under these conditions and under some peculiar 
diseases. It would be equally inapplicable to discuss the disputed 
point, as to what fever or inflammation, for instance, really are, or 
at much length to consider the question of their dissimilarity or re- 
semblance to each other. I shall, therefore, at once set out with 
the ascertained fact, that there is at least this difference in the 
circulating fluid under the two conditions; — in inflammation there 
is an increase and in fever there is a decrease of the proportion of 
fibrin when compared with the other components of the blood. In 
plethora, or sanguineous condition of the system, there is an in- 
creased proportion of red corpuscles — in anemia the watery one pre- 
ponderates. With regard to particular diseases incident to a 
plethoric state of body, interesting examples present themselves in 
* See Provincial, Medical, and Surgical Journal, 184-1. 
