On hypochondriasis, and other forms of nervous disease / by H. Hunt.

  • Hunt, Henry, -1877.
Date:
[between 1850 and 1859]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On hypochondriasis, and other forms of nervous disease / by H. Hunt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    /d ON HYPOCHONDRIASIS, AND OTHER FORMS OF NERVOUS DISEASE. BY H. HUNT, M.D. INTRODUCTION. It is my design, in the following observations, to treat of the causes of hypochondriasis, and of other nervous diseases, and to endeavour to show that, although the stomach, liver, and other organs may be concerned in the production of them, they are so but remotely, and that the direct exciting cause is a morbid condition of the blood. The exact chemical nature of the noxious principle from which that morbid con- dition proceeds, I do not pretend to explain. As my subject is very obscure and difficult, I have found it necessary to describe very minutely the nature and symp- toms of the malady,—the physiology of the various organs of animal life,—the causes that impede and modify their action,—their modus operandi, etc., so minutely, indeed, as to incur the risk of being charged with bringing forward, and dwelling too tnuch on, what is generally known, and, perhaps, better understood by others than myself; but I could not explain my meaning and object in a sufficiently clear manner without this arrangement; I have endeavoured, however, to be as concise as possible. I wish to express my obligation to the Works of the late Drs. A. Combe, Prout, Prichard, and others, for the assist- ance they have afforded me in elucidating my subject, and in proving the correctness of the theory which I have ven- tured to propund, i.e., that hypochondriasis is caused by the direct influence on the brain and nervous system of some noxious matter in the blood. Few diseases are the source of so much bodily suffering and so much mental distress as those in which the nervous system is especially implicated. Few diseases occasion more perplexity to the medical adviser, or require greater tact, firmness, and discretion in their management. Among the causes which contribute to this difficulty, we may enumerate the following :—The infinite variety of the symptoms, which often have relation to other forms of dia«