Formulae medicamentorum, or, a compendium of the modern practice of physic. To which is prefixed an essay on the effects and uses of blood-letting / by Hugh Smith.

  • Smith, Hugh, 1730?-1790.
Date:
1781
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Formulae medicamentorum, or, a compendium of the modern practice of physic. To which is prefixed an essay on the effects and uses of blood-letting / by Hugh Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    contained fluids. And this will be exempli- fied in difeafes from a plethora; where the arterial tubes are often fo much diftended as greatly to be impaired in their tone and elaftic force, fo that they become unable rightly to perform their contractions, or cir- culate the blood through the body ; but no fooner is the diftending caufe removed, by a copious phlebotomy, than the veflels recover their elalVicity; and, by their free and eafy contractions, pu£h forwards the circulating, humours; by which the progreflive motion of the blood, and the feveral functions of the body, before oppreffed and fuflFocated, are now again reflored. §. 9. Though blood-letting in a plethora,, and under particular circumftances, may contribute fo greatly to reftore the motion and action of the vefTels, when diftended beyond their tone of contraction, yet, on the contrary, it is, of all others, the mofl: fpeedy remedy to weaken and deftroy the action and elafticity of the veflels, and tO' produce an immediate and univerfal weak- nefs; for, as the influx of the blood into the cavities of the heart appears to be the caufe: which excites it to aCtion,, (§•. 3..) it muft follow, that, when the vital fluid.is exhaufted,, the quantity to be returned to the heart will be lelfened ; whence the ftrength of its muf- cular contraction will be impaired ; the re- action of the arteries, now not fufficiently B 6- diftended.