PATHOLOGY. 43 
or the other of thofe claffes of fubftances, than by the 
apparent fymptoms of the malady. 
This part of the new doctrine is not, however, fo ex- 
tenfively adopted in Italy as the former. Many reflexive 
phyficians (till maintain the opinions of Brown, and can¬ 
not be induced to believe that tartar emetic, digitalis, and 
the like, can diredlly deprefs vital adtion in the part to 
which they are applied. 
Connedted with this, and bearing fome refemblance to 
it, is the fyftem of Brouflais himfelf, of which the fol¬ 
lowing is an outline, i. That the exaggeration of the 
vital adtions in one tiffue, which fubfequently re-adls on 
others, conftitutes the far greater proportion of difeafes. 
a. That all the tiffues'are fufceptible of experiencing this 
modification, but certain ones are more expofed to it 
than others. 3. That thofe in which it is ordinarily de¬ 
veloped, are the mucous tiffues, becaufe they are the 
organs of relation, (that is to fay, organs which receive 
imprefiions, and which befides develop other adtions by 
the influence they exert on the nervous centres,) and be¬ 
caufe they are all fanguineous and fecretory organs. 
4. That thefe tiffues, being formed of capillaries and 
nervous fubftance, have the irritation they experience 
participated both by veffels and nerves. 5. That irrita¬ 
tion being eftabiiflied in a tiffue, calls the fluid to it; and 
that it is on this phenomenon that all the fecretions, all 
the vital excretions, and, in a word, the adtions of all 
the organs, depend. 6. That thefe irritations, with the 
folicitation of the fluids, being carried to a certain de¬ 
gree by the influence of certain caufes, conftitute ltates 
of difeafe. 7. That, whilft we do not diftinguifh in the 
economy, the four phenomena of inflammation (tumor, 
dolor, rubor, and color), we fliould not give this name to 
the irritations which may be manifefted. 8. That, in cer¬ 
tain fubjedts, they are hardly ever raifed to the degree 
which merits the name of inflammation ; but that they 
then conftitute, in fome cafes, the neurofes of authors ; 
in others, organic affections. 9. That, in fome perfons, 
thefe irritations, confined for a long time to a certain 
degree, fuddenly become exalted, and pafs to the ftate of 
phiegmafla-, that is to fay, we then obferve exaggeration 
of the aftion of the red capillaries, an extraordinary af¬ 
flux of blood, with augmentation of heat, pain, See. 
10. That, in others, this exaltation takes place fuddenly. 
11. That, when then thefe exaggerations of the aCtions 
of organs have for the refult, not the folicitation of 
blood, with heat, See. but the accumulation ofcolourlefs 
fluids, and the predominance of the veffels which con¬ 
tain them, we then fee the phenomena of irritation in a 
degree inferior to true phlegmafia, and to which, for this 
reafon, the name of fub-inflammation may be given. 
12. That neurofis, inflammation, and fub-inflammation, 
conftitute the three varieties of irritation which furnifh 
the principal and moft important divifion in pathology: 
that is to fay, neurofis, when the irritation is confined to 
extraordinary aCtion, without increafe of heat or immi¬ 
nent danger of diforganization ; inflammation, when heat, 
with injection of blood, and imminent danger of difor¬ 
ganization, exift ; fub-inflammation, when the irritation 
accumulates in the part only lymphatic fluids. 
Thefe are the morbid phenomena of irritation in the 
part where it originates. But, in addition to thefe, it 
fhould be confidered, 1. That, as foon as the organic ac¬ 
tion is exaggerated in a part, it is tranfmitted to other 
organs by the nervous cords, (which fliould be diftin- 
guifhed from the nervous fubftance in the ftate of ex- 
panfion, or in the pulpy ftate, as it exifts in the organs 
of fenfe, and in the brain.) 2. That this tranfmiflion of 
the exaggeration of local organic aCtion is a fympathy. 
3. That it takes place, in the ftate of difeafe, according 
to the fame lav/s, and by the fame means, as in the ftate 
of health. 4. That the irritation, fympathetically deve¬ 
loped in an organ.Secondarily affeCted, is of the fame na¬ 
ture as the primitive irritation. 
This is the mode in which M. Brouflais has himfelf 
ftated the principles of his pathology of inflammatory 
difeafes ; and he has fliown that, when fully developed, 
they will involve the far greater part of the maladies to 
which human beings are liable: but to trace thefe ex- 
tenfions of them does not come within the plan of this 
feCtion. It is, however, neceffary to advance fo much 
refpedling this dodtrine, fince it is becoming daily more 
extenfively adopted in France, and has already obtained 
the confent and Support of a great proportion of the 
more refleCtive part of the phyficians of that nation. 
An union of the reafoning and imaginative faculties 
has Seldom been poffeffed by an individual with any ad¬ 
vantage to the interefts of philofophy. Of the truth of 
this propofition we have a melancholy example in the 
writings of Darwin. The figurative expreflions and bril¬ 
liant didtion which fo much adorned his poems, being 
applied to a ltridter Science, have equally obfeured and 
tarniftied his compofitions. 
We"obferve in the medical Speculations of this author 
a near approach to fome of the Brunonian tenets. Edu¬ 
cated, however, in a fuperior manner, endued with bet¬ 
ter tafte, and more minute in his oblervance of nature, 
Darwin faw that Brown’s two general principles were in¬ 
adequate to explain many forms of difeafe; and he 
therefore added a third. Two general laws of the ani¬ 
mal economy are ftated by Darwin, as well as by Brown : 
1. That all excitement or adtion of the living organs 
and fundtions occafions a diminution or exhauftion of 
their power, (excitability in the language of the latter, 
fenforial power in that of the former,) according to the 
degree of excitement. 2. That reft, inadlivity, or the 
abftradtion of the ufual ftimuli, render thofe organs more 
fufceptible of the adtion of the ftimuli fubfequently ap¬ 
plied. Thus, when a fmall part of the capillary veffels 
of the fkin are expofed for a fliort time to a cold medium, 
as, when the hands are immerfed in iced water for a 
minute, thefe capillaries become torpid or quiefeent, 
owing to the abftradtion of the ftimulus of heat. The 
fkin then becomes pale, becaufe no blood paffes through 
the external capillaries, and appears ftirunk, becaufe their 
fides are collapfed from inadlivity, not contradled by 
fpafm; the roots of the hair are left prominent from the 
Seceding or fubfiding of the fkin around them; and the 
pain of coldnefs is produced. But in this fituation, if 
the ufual degree of warmth be applied, thefe veffels re¬ 
gain their adlivity ; and, having now become more irri¬ 
table from an accumulation of the fenforial power du¬ 
ring their quiefcence, a greater adtion of them follows, 
with an increafed glow of the fkin, and another kind of 
pain, which is called the hot-ache, enfues. 
Thus far the two theories nearly accord ; but beyond 
this point the Brunonian dodtrine leaves us to a general 
ftatement of debility, altogether inadequate to account 
for the various forms and phenomena of fever. But Dr. 
Darwin appeals to other eftabiiflied fadts in the animal 
economy, upon which thefe varieties appear to depend. 
From thefe he deduces a third general law ; namely. 
That the fundtions of different parts of the fyftem' are 
fo far catenated, or affociated with each other, as it were 
in circles, either from diredt connexion in ftrudture, 
from the habit of adting together, or, more frequently, 
from caufes at prefent infcrutable, that an increafe or 
decreafeof the adtion of one organ is followed or accom¬ 
panied by an increafe or decreafe of the adtion of ano¬ 
ther; Sometimes by a Similar change, that is, increafe 
followed by increafe of adlivity, or decreafe by decreafe ; 
but occafionally by the contrary change, that is, increafe 
followed by decreafe of adlivity, and vice verfd in the af¬ 
fociated parts. The former of thefe is termed a direct 
fympathy ; the latter a reverfe fympathy. 
The inftances of fympathy between different parts of 
the animal frame are very numerous; as, between the 
ftomach and brain, the ftomach and fkin, the ftomach and 
heart, the brain and heart, the flein and lungs, the ute¬ 
rus and mammae, See. And this, which occasioned him 
to 
