A treatise on the venereal disease / by John Hunter ; with notes by George G. Babington.

  • Hunter, John, 1728-1793.
Date:
1841
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on the venereal disease / by John Hunter ; with notes by George G. Babington. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    In diseases we see mortification arising from debility, in the ex- tremities oftener than in other parts, more especially if the person is tall; the heart not propelling the blood to these distant parts with equal force. In such a state of constitution, those who labour under a hemiplegia are often found to die at last from a mortifica- tion in the extremities of the paralytic side. In some of these cases the arteries give way, and allow of an extravasation of the blood, and therefore we may reasonably suppose that they are propor- tionally weak in health. We also find that such extravasation commonly begins in the extremities. This principle is not only evident in these two diseases, but also in every disease that can affect an animal body. It appears in the readiness with which diseases come on and proceed in parts distant from the source of the circulation, and also in the steps towards a cure. Parts differ not only in their powers, in proportion as they are nearer or further from the heart, but likewise according to their peculiar structure, whereby they vary as much in the progress of morbid actions as in the operations of health. An animal body is composed of a variety [of substances, as muscle, tendon, cellular membrane, ligament, bone, nerve, &c. We have therefore an opportunity of observing the comparative progress of diseases in them, and their comparative powers of performing a cure ; and we find that they differ very much from one another in those respects. How far these differences take place in all diseases, I have not been able to determine; but should suppose, that in spe- cific diseases, as scrofula and cancer, there is in general no difference in the mode of action in any of the structures,* these diseases producing the same specific effects in all the parts that are capable of being affected by them ; but in diseases arising from accident a great difference in the degrees of action takes place, the parts from such a cause being allowed to act according to their natures; which observation holds good also in the venereal disease. This difference appears to be chiefly in the degrees of strength and weakness in resisting morbid action. The less the natural powers of action are in any particular structure of parts, the less they are able to resist disease ; therefore bone, tendon, ligament, and cellular membrane go through their morbid actions more slowly than muscle or skin; and this principle is applicable to the venereal disease. § 4. Of Parts susceptible of particular Diseases. There are some parts much more susceptible of specific diseases than others. Poisons take their different seats in the body as if allotted for them. Thus we have the skin attacked with what are vulgarly called scorbutic eruptions, and many other diseases ; it is * Here it is to be understood, that we do not include those parts which have a greater tendency to specific diseases than what many others have; as the lym- phatics to the scrofula, the breast to the cancer.