Illustrations of pulmonary consumption : its anatomical characters, causes, symptoms and treatment. With twelve plates, drawn and coloured from nature / By Samuel George Morton.

  • Morton, Samuel George, 1799-1851.
Date:
1834
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Illustrations of pulmonary consumption : its anatomical characters, causes, symptoms and treatment. With twelve plates, drawn and coloured from nature / By Samuel George Morton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    the contents of the abscess, but from its own proper tissue: the portions intermediate between these granules are of a florid red colour, and appertain to the denuded middle coat of the artery. This tuberculous degeneration of the blood-vessels is obviously derived from the vasa vasorum themselves. The theory of the lymphatic origin of tubercles, which is now so generally received, is at least as old as. Sylvius,* who sup- posed the lungs to contain an infinite number of minute conglo- bate glands, analogous to those of the mesentery; and that the inflammation and suppuration of these glands causes the vomicae of phthisis. This opinion, which has been adopted by many physicians since the time of Sylvius, has more recently been amplified and illustrated with great ingenuity by M. Broussais. This pathologist attributes tubercular disease to an inflammation of the lymphatic glands and vessels, conse- quent to inflammation of the sanguiferous capillaries. When inflammation, says he, is developed in lymphatic glands, and passes to the chronic state, they become grayish, whitish, and sometimes semi-transparent, and have received the name of tubercles. If the irritation continues, it produces, in place of the pus of phlegmons, or albuminous exudation of membranes, a white, concrete, inodorous matter, of the consistence of cheese. Whilst the lymphatic glands are thus slowly disor- ganized, the irritation that destroys them is communicated to the surrounding cellular tissue, developing there vast numbers of tubercles, which probably result from the disorganization of the principal fasciculi of lymphatic capillaries. This kind of degeneration occurs in all parts, especially in those designed for copious secretion, because they aboimd in lymphatics; and * Sylvius wrote in 1671. I have not been able to procure his work, and quote his opinions from Dr. Young's learned Treatise on Consumptive Diseases, p. 178.