Lectures on diseases of the nervous system / delivered at Guy's Hospital by Samuel Wilks.

  • Wilks, Samuel, Sir, 1824-1911.
Date:
1883
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lectures on diseases of the nervous system / delivered at Guy's Hospital by Samuel Wilks. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    In offering to the profession a new edition of my lectures it may he necessary to state that the work has been much enlarged, both by a fuller description of some forms of disease and by a more copious illustration of cases. During the last few years consider- able attention has been given to the study of some special kinds of nervous affection, such as hemi-anaesthesia and its treatment, by the French school. A fresh interest has thus been necessarily created in this and kindred subjects, and has obliged me more fully to discuss them in reference to recent theories, to many of which, however, I cannot assent. Again, the classification of spinal diseases by Erb and other German authors has been so closely followed by English writers that I have felt compelled to rearrange my own section on this subject in deference to the general adhesion to German nomenclature. It will be seen, however, that this change has reference rather to pathological considerations than to any greatly advanced clinical knowledge; for example, under the new designation of lateral sclerosis and its varieties will be found cases which appeared formerly under meningitis and other headings. The alteration, therefore, observable in this section is not so great as it might appear. I have always advocated the opinion that the nomenclature of dis- ease should be founded on clinical facts rather than on pathological considerations. Names were originally given to various groups of symptoms which were easily recognisable by all, the nature or cause of these symptoms being left for further investigation. No theo- ries can overthrow any terms of this kind used merely as tokens whose value all understand. There may often be no disagreement about the case which two practitioners are treating, although they may dissent widely about its pathology. I am speaking more especially of diseases of the nervous system, but I believe my opinion is strictly applicable to disease of all kinds, even should the terms in use clearly and admittedly designate an organic lesion in expressions such as phthisis or morbus Brightii. For should it be agreed that certain morbid changes are uniformly found in fatal