The magnetic organization of the human system, and its application to the cure of chronic diseases / abridged from the works of the late Henry Hall Sherwood by H.H. Sherwood's successor William Larned.

  • Sherwood, H. H. (Henry Hall)
Date:
1850
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The magnetic organization of the human system, and its application to the cure of chronic diseases / abridged from the works of the late Henry Hall Sherwood by H.H. Sherwood's successor William Larned. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    found in the middle portion of it, a space of about three inches in diameter, where the respiration was entirely inaudible, indicating from the absence of the crepitous and mucous rattle, a large and solid cluster of tubercles, rendering this part of the lung impermeable and immov- able. The respiration was natural all round this portion of the lung, and in every other part of the chest. Diagnosis. Tubercula of the middle portion of the right lung. He now told me that a celebrated physician, who was attending him. had also examined him with the stethescope, and with the same result. He also tolcl me that percussion had been frequently applied, which uniformly gave a dull sound over that part of the lung. He has the usual pale, lean, and haggard look, or consumptive aspect of the countenance ; and the emaciation has made considerable progress; and he is gradually sinking. He has had prescribed for him, and ha3 persued the usual antiphlogistic treatment, including a large emetic tartar plaster over the front portion of his right lung, (from which he suffered severely,) with low vegetable and milk diet. Prescribed magnetic pills and plaster, with no restriction in diet. He commenced gaining strength in a few days after, and in about seven weeks, cr at the time he had finished taking one box of the pills, I examined him again with the stethescope, when the respiration was as audible, in the before-mentioned middle portion of the right lung, aa in every other part of the chest, but presented now very clearly, in this place, the sounds of bronchophony. His cough had now nearly abated, and he hod gained in this time so much flesh, as to make him appear better than he docs in his usual hearth ; and has lost entirely the pale, haggard, and consumptive aspect of his countenance. January 18, 1837. Examined his chest again. The sound of bron- chophony in the circumscribed space in the middle portion of the right lung, and his cough and expectoration have ceased, and percussion gives now a full, clear sound. He continues to gain flesh and strength, and his face, body, and limbs, have now the full and rounded form of a person in full flesh, and the most perfect health. It will be seen, that after distinguishing consumption by the new symp- toms, the chest is, in most cases, explored with the stethescope. This is done to ascertain the order and state of the tuberculations ; for, although they are detected in the first dawning of the disease—even in many cases before the cough commences—yet we cannot tell, without the aid of auscultation, whether these tubercles are scattered about at a distance from each other, or are adjoining each other in small or large clusters, like clusters of grapes, or have softened down and produced a small reparable or a large irreparable excavation. Hence the doubt that must exist in regard to the curab'lity of the disease in its last stages in this organ, by the natural remeciies, without the aid of auscultation, and hence its importance in this, as well as in many other diseases of the chest; yet very few know anything of its advantage, in consequence of a de- plorable defect in the education of physicians. ': It may De useful for me to add to the above history of my case, that besiics the most perfect restoration of my health, (for such I be!:'.eve to be my happy fortune, a? far as I can judge,) that the above remedies have been a great benefit to me in another point of view. My physician, and other gentlemen of the profession.