PATHOLOGICAL ANATOMY. 
137 
exert a powerful influence over capillary circulation, nutrition, 
and secretion; hence the various lesions of innervation and san- 
guification.” 
These five sections contain the various morbid alterations to 
which the frame is liable. They are adopted as the five grand di- 
visions of his subject, and he gives a generally clear account of 
the cause and extent of these lesions, whether belonging to one 
system only, or complicated with others. Few things are more 
important than an established and well-founded connexion in the 
mind of the practitioner between the existence of certain diseases 
and modifications of disease during life, and corresponding lesions 
of a certain system or systems observable alter death. A general 
and definite idea of the lesions must be formed in order to render 
the case satisfactory to the surgeon and the owner of the patient ; 
but there are few things more interesting or, at first, more difficult 
than to read and to understand the uniformity of the general lesion, 
and the variation of others, depending on the constitution of the 
patient, or the circumstances in which he was placed ; and the treat- 
ment which he received, modifying the original lesion, or connect- 
ing it with the lesions of other systems. 
We quote, not the most striking of our author’s elucidations, 
but one of those in which he avails himself of the aid of our art. 
We frequently find,” says he, when speaking of the lesions of 
circulation, and, particularly, the diseases of the arteries, “ in the 
dead body, the internal membrane of the arteries dyed a bright red 
colour. Whence comes this peculiar appearance ? Is it the result 
of inflammation, or is it merely a post-mortem alteration] When- 
ever a body is opened in an incipient state of putrefaction, the in- 
ternal coat of the arteries is invariably red; and, in proportion as 
the quantity of blood is considerable, and it evinces but little dis- 
position to coagulate, this redness is more marked, and makes its 
appearance at a shorter period after death. These facts are suffi- 
cient to prove that the uniform redness which is so often observed 
in the inner arterial coat may be produced by the simple circum- 
stance of the blood soaking through and imparting its colour to it. 
Yet is it always a post-mortem alteration, or is it not in some 
cases produced during life? 
“ In the year 1825 a violent distemper prevailed among the 
horses at Paris, and in some of the provinces. The most general 
symptoms were those of gastro-intestinal irritation ; but, with very 
few exceptions, the thoracic viscera were likewise implicated, the 
breathing being greatly affected, although there was not much 
cough. During this epidemic, M. Dupuy and I dissected many 
horses at the slaughter-houses at Montfau^on. The animals were 
scarcely slaughtered when we proceeded to examine them, and, in 
