454 
ON THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF DISEASE. 
cold, external injuries of the most trivial nature, all proved fruitful 
causes for premature development : in the same way must be 
viewed the effect of bringing an animal already labouring under 
an attack into contact with those that had, as yet, not shewn any 
noticeable symptoms of being affected. It must not be looked at in 
the light of contagion from this affected animal to others apparently 
healthy, but simply as a mere exciting cause, the same as any 
other cause of a merely local nature. I propose at some future time 
more particularly to describe the history and characters of this 
wide-spreading epizootic. 
I shall therefore take the following symbol as my definition of 
the change in general, taking the year 1836 as a centre, and IS26 
and 1846 as the extremes. It will therefore stand thus : 
C Diseases of high ^ f Diseases ^ 
1826 1 Inflammatory' ( lg36 ) of Low Fever ( , 84g . 
( or Sthenic. J (. Asthenic. j 
It will now be necessary to shew in what this difference con- 
sists. Of the first period, the character of disease was that of high 
inflammatory action: the blood dark in colour, large in quantity, 
viscid, coagulating homogeneously, separating slowly into serum 
and crassamentum, the latter having the preponderance, general 
predisposition to plethora — perspiration thick and viscid, forming 
a cream-like froth. Bile formed of dark colour — post-mortem ap- 
pearances shewing the preponderance of the plethoric state. All 
the organs full of rich blood ; muscular fibre the same. General 
turgescence of the bloodvessels. Urine high-coloured, and rather 
scanty. Predisposition to deposit fat. High fever very general, 
the system requiring the abstraction of large quantities of blood — 
the treatment generally requiring to be of the boldly depletive 
character. 
During the latter period, the characters of disease the reverse of 
the former : Low fever, in its various forms — serous deposits in the 
cellular tissue — blood thin, watery, pale in colour — muscular fibre, 
organs, and bloodvessels, in a similar state. Bloodletting but little 
requisite, and borne but very badly — the secretions partaking of the 
general character, being thin and copious. The treatment the oppo- 
site of the former period ; stimulants imperatively requisite in the 
place of depletives — -the modus operandi of remedies so modified as 
to be almost considered as belonging to other classes. Thus, while 
10, 12, or even 16 drachms of aloes might be given, producing but 
a laxative effect in the one period, in the other two drachms ope- 
rating powerfully cathartic. The ratio of diseases, as regards their 
occurrence, altered ; as pneumonia, so frequent in the former period, 
