Aetiology and semeiology : consisting of Aretæus on the causes and signs of acute diseases; and Schill's Outlines of pathological semeiology.

Date:
1841
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Aetiology and semeiology : consisting of Aretæus on the causes and signs of acute diseases; and Schill's Outlines of pathological semeiology. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library at Emory University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library, Emory University.

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    wrenched forward, so as to look as if the knee joint were thrust into the ham. It is an affliction more than humanity can bear, a sight revolting and painful to behold ; and this cruel disease is irremediable, and from the distortion the sufferer is not recognised, even by his dearest friends, and the prayer of those around (which would have been heretofore impious, but hath become now righte- ous,) is, that the wretched sufferer may be loosed from existence, and receive acquittance at the same time from his life, pain, and horrible torment: and the physician, though present and looking on, is not merely unable to save his life, but he cannot even im- prove his shape, for to attempt to straighten the limbs would be like mangling and breaking the man in pieces while yet alive, and therefore no longer offering his assistance, he is reduced to the distressing position of merely contributing his sympathy. CHAPTER VII. ON CYNANCHE. Cynanche is a very severe disease, for it is attended with a stifling of the breath. It exists under two forms, either as an inflamma- tion of the respiratory organs; or merely as an affection of the breath, which contains within itself the source of the disease. These organs are the tonsils, epiglottis, pharynx, uvula, and top of the wind-pipe ; if the inflammation spread, it involves the tongue and inside of the jaws, and the former becomes from its great size pushed over the teeth as it quite fills the cavity of the mouth, and its excess projects beyond; it is called Cynanche (Dogchoke), either from these animals being liable to the disorder, or from their habit of protruding the tongue even in a state of health. In the other form quite opposite symptoms appear ; the organs become collapsed, with a greater attenuation of each part than is natural, and the sense of stifling is so violent that it seems to the patient as if the inflammation were secretly concealed in his chest in the vicinity of the heart and lungs. This is called Synanche (internal choke), from its being placed internally and causing suffo- cation there ; my opinion is that it is merely a disease of the breath, from its being converted by some morbid action into a very hot and acrid state, without any inflammation of the body ; and there is nothing so very extraordinary in this notion, for the suffocation from mephitic caves is exceedingly severe without there being any bodily disease, and persons die merely from a single inspiration be- fore the body can be possibly in any way affected: and again, a person becomes rabid from the tongue of a dog merely breathing on him in expiration, without his being at all bitten; it is therefore not