The homoeopathic materia medica : arranged systematically and practically / by A. Teste ; translated from the French and edited by Chas. J. Hempel.

  • Teste, Alph. (Alphonse), 1814-
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The homoeopathic materia medica : arranged systematically and practically / by A. Teste ; translated from the French and edited by Chas. J. Hempel. 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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    It does not seem difficult, for that matter, to account for the undeniable tendency which is inhe- rent in some maladies, (epidemics, for instance,) to adoptessential and generic characteristic signs. This tendency arises from the peculiar character of the forces which produce them. This now has to be explained. Among the causes of disease, some act upon us mechanically and physically; hence, they have no specific character. Such causes are, external injuries, dampness of the atmosphere, changes of temperature, draughts of air, etc. Other causes act dynamically and specifically, such as viruses and miasms. Each of the causes belonging to the first class, may, according as the individual is predisposed, give rise to pathological affections which are very different among each other. A draught of air, for instance, may occasion a coryza, a pleurisy, a rheumatism, etc. Is it not evident that, in such a case, the malady, which is subordinate to the age, sex, constitution, temperament, idiosyncrasy of the patient, to his hygienic habits, his degree of vitality, the greater or less degree of congenital or acquired, habitual or momentary irritability, or atony of this or that part of his organism, must necessarily present, in every indi- vidual, not only a peculiar degree of intensity, but also a peculiar development and combination of the symptoms ? It seems to me. that these facts are confirmed by every day's experience, notwithstanding- all that has been said, and can be said, in favor of the essential character of diseases. The plan of classifying diseases, in accordance with the physical