101 
PATHOLOGY. 
CLASSIFICATION of DISEASES, 
According to the fyftem of Dr. Mason Good. 
Clafs I. C celiac a, Difeafes of the Digeftive Funftion. 
Order r. Entericu. Affecting the alimentary canal. 
2. Splanchnica. Affefting the collatitious vifcera. 
Clafs II. Pneumatica. Difeafes of the Refpiratory 
Funftion. 
Order i. Phonica. Affefting the vocal avenues. 
2. Pneumonica. Affe&ng the lungs, their mem¬ 
branes, or motive power. 
Clafs III. H/ematica. Difeafes of the Sanguineous 
Funftion. 
Order t. Pyrettica. Fevers. 
a. Phlogotica. Inflammations. 
3. Exanthematica. Eruptive fevers. 
4. Dyjlhetica, Cachexies. 
Clafs IV. Neurotica. Difeafes of the Nervous 
Function. 
Order 1. Phrenica. Affefting the intelleft. 
2. JEJihetica. Affefting the fenfation. 
3. Cinetica. Affefting the mufcles. 
4. Syjlatica. Affefting feveral or all the fenfo- 
rial powers fimultaneoufly. 
Clafs V. Genetica. Difeafes of the Sexual Funftion. 
Order 1. Cenotica. Affecting the fluids. 
2. Orgujlica. Affecting the orgafm. 
3. Curpotica. Affefting the impregnation. 
Clafs VI. Eccritica. Difeafes of the Excernent Func¬ 
tion. 
Order 1. Mefotica. Affedting the parenchyma. 
2. Cutotica. Affedting internal furfaces. 
3. Acrotica. Affedting the external furface. 
Clafs VII. Tychica. Fortuitous Lefions or Deformities. 
Order 1. Apalotica. Affedting the foft parts. 
2. Stereotica. Affedting the hard parts. 
3. Morphica. Monftroflties of birth. 
Class I. C CELIAC A, [from the Gr. Koihict, the belly.] 
Diseases of the Digestive Organs. 
There is no clafs of difeafes which more imperioufly 
demands the earned and attentive conlideration of the 
patliologift than this ; and certainly there is no clafs of 
difeafes which has of late received more attention from 
the medical world. We have before remarked on the 
connexion which the alimentary canal holds with the 
reft of the fyftem ; and on the media through which 
this connexion is fupported. We have fliown, that, if 
the fenforial powers be difturbed, the nervous productions 
which expand on the mucous membrane of the alimen¬ 
tary canal will have their office altered orfufpended, and 
deficient fecretion will be the refult 1 that, on the other 
hand, every part of the mufcular and nervous fyftems 
may be. affefted by the difordered ftate of the alimentary 
canal, fince the impreffions of the latter, conveyed to 
the brain, may affeft, through it, all other parts. This 
reciprocal dependence and relation, then, we are quite 
willing to admit; but we have here to pauie, and to con- 
fider a doftrine which is founded on this relation, but 
which we are unwilling to admit. It is the doftrine, 
that the primary caufe of difeafe refts immediately in the 
ftomach and bowels. Now it is very obvious, that, in 
tracing the origin of difeafes, the order of fucceffion 
obferved by its fymptoms is the only guide which we 
can adopt; and it requires little experience to prove 
that the fucceffion of /ymptoms affords in many difeafes 
direct contradiction to the doftrine above mentioned. 
For inftance, the effect of ftudious and fedentary habits 
on the human frame, by inducing long and exceffive ac¬ 
tion of the brain, is to exhauft fenfibility; hence the 
due tranfmiflion of nervous power will be interrupted, 
and the fecernent fyltem will be deranged in various ways. 
It is true, the ftomach and bowels are generally the parts 
in which this derangement is principally made manifeft ; 
but this does not occur invariably. The fecretion from 
many glands is fometimes difturbed, while the gaftric 
and enteric fluids prefent no fenfible change. Again ; a 
blow on the head, though it frequently produces vomit¬ 
ing, yet that effeft is not uniform. And again ; in the 
efteCt of temperature, whether diminiffied or increafed, 
we are able to trace the order of fucceffion through the 
circulating to the nervous fyftem, without meeting with 
any implication of the digeftive function in dilorder; 
and fo on. That the alimentary canal is a medium 
through which morbid materia and impreffions are con¬ 
veyed to the reft of the fyftem, we have before ftated ; 
yet fuch conveyance may not derange thefe organs, but 
may produce fecondary effects on other ftruftures; effects 
which'may require remedies of a nature quite different 
from thofe calculated to relieve ftomachic or inteftinal 
derangements. Strong objections too are in force again ft 
another part of the lame doftrine, viz. that of conli- 
dering the ftomach as a centre of fympathy ; that is to fay, 
when thofe terms are ufed to exprefs a peculiar property 
of the ftomach, a property different from what is obfer- 
vable in all mucous expanfions. For afluredly the lize 
or intenfity of power in the nerves, will fufficiently ac¬ 
count for the ready and general fympathy obferved with 
regard to that organ, and other parts of the body, with¬ 
out reforting to this gratuitous hypothefis. 
An argument is advanced in fupport of the origin of 
difeafe in. the ftomach, which we are inclined to regard 
with greater refpeft than any of the reft 5 namely, that 
the cure of many local and conftitutional complaints is 
effeCled by means which procure copious fecretion from 
the alimentary canal. We may obferve, however, that, 
while we allow the faft, the hypothefis which is founded 
on it need not be admitted. The alimentary canal may 
be confidered (in a greater or left degree in its various 
parts) as the emunStory of the fanguineous fyftem. Thus 
even the bile, befides its ufe in the reparation of chyle, 
is carried downwards in large quantities with the feces. 
The bowels, too, pour large quantities of fluids, which 
vary in their fmell, colour, and confiftence; and, to a 
certain degree, without the health being affeCted. Hence 
fecretion from thefe parts may aft in various ways 5 either 
by removing certain Hates of plethora, or by eliciting 
from the blood noxious particles. In this way, emetics 
thrown into the blood, are feparated from that fluid by 
the digefting fecretions, and produce vomiting. We are 
aware that this feems to approach, in fome degree, to the 
humoral pathology ; but it is now become admitted, that 
our pathological theorifts have perhaps too clofely dis¬ 
carded the explanation of difeafe which this doftrine af¬ 
forded. The proximate caufe mull, indeed, be looked 
for in the aftion of the folids; but the medium through 
which difeafe is propagated is, undoubtedly, very often 
the blood. The violent effeft produced by the injeftion 
of a fmall quantity of air, or of other kinds of fluids, 
feems very direft confirmation of this opinion. 
We muft further remark, that the promulgators of 
thefe doftrines have overlooked the manner in which the 
derangements of the collatitious vifcera alter the ftate of 
the ftomach and bowels ; an effeft which takes place ei¬ 
ther by means of the application of morbid fecretion, or 
by continuity of difeafed aftion. With regard to the 
remote caufes of difeafe in the digeftive organs, the fol¬ 
lowing are ftated by Dr. Nicholls in his Elements of Pa¬ 
thology. “ The procefs of digeftion may be imperfeftly 
performed, owing to a variety of caufes; among which 
we may reckon,—Food of an improper quality, or in 
improper quantities; imperfeft performance of the pro¬ 
cefs of maftication, in which cafe the food will not be 
fufficiently mingled with faliva, nor will it be fufficiently 
broken down and divided ; diminilhed fecretion of faliva, 
ordifcharge of that fluid from the mouth; increafed fe¬ 
cretion of faliva; difeafed ftates of the fluids which flow 
into 
