Lectures on diseases of the kidney, generally known as 'Bright's disease'; and dropsy / by S.J. Goodfellow.

  • Goodfellow, S. J. (Stephen Jennings)
Date:
1861
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lectures on diseases of the kidney, generally known as 'Bright's disease'; and dropsy / by S.J. Goodfellow. 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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    temporary congestion of the vessels, and suspension, more or less complete, of the secretion, as a secretion ; and frequent exposures to cold, or cold and wet, more or less prolonged, may, and undoubtedly do, lead to chronic changes of structure in these organs; and if these causes are associated with intemperance, as they often are, will cause, in the majority of instances, the different forms of granular kidney. It would be in- teresting and profitable to test a sample of the urine passed during the latter part of the cold stage of ague whenever you have opportunities. So far, then, as the muscles are not paralyzed, they contract; the vessels diminish somewhat in diameter, the blood be- comes retarded, the nervous system is more or less paralyzed, and secretion is impaired. An effort is now made on the part of the system generally to overcome this. The heart is labouring more and more to over- come this retardation in like manner as in the familiar example of the chilblain, the action of the vessels around the inflamed part became increased. Increased cardiac impulsion is brought to bear upon the retarded or stagnant mass of blood in the capillaries, and increased transudation, or exudation, or actual haemorrhage, is produced. This I regard as the immediate effect. But the cause continuing, further reaction becomes necessary. The blood is altered; it contains the elements of the secretion or excretion, an inflammatory process is set up, and various matters become exuded, which may in one situation rapidly become purulent,—in others may