First lines of the practice of physic, for the use of students, in the University of Edinburgh (Volume 2).

  • Cullen, William, 1710-1790.
Date:
MDCCLXXXI[-MDCCLXXXV] [1781-1785]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: First lines of the practice of physic, for the use of students, in the University of Edinburgh (Volume 2). 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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    by compreflion, I allege there are other caufes producing the fame difeafe, by direttly destroying the mobility of the nervous power. Such caufes feem to be the mephitic air arifing from fermenting liquors, and from many other fources ; the fumes arifing from burning charcoal; the fumes of mercury, of lead, and of fome other metallic fubftances; opium ; alcohol; and many other narcotic poifons. To all which I would add the power of cold, of concufiion, of elec- tricity, and of certain paffions of the mind. MLVIII. None of thefe poifons, or noxious powers, feem to kill by atting firft upon the organs of refpiration, or upon the fan- guiferous fyftem ; and I believe their immediate and direft aftion to be upon the nervous power, deftroying its mobility, becaufe the fame poifons ftiew their power in deflroying the irritability of mufcles and of the nerves connected with them, when both thefe are entirely feparated from the reft of the body. MLIX. It appears to me probable, that the apoplectic ftate, in fome degree accompanying, and almoft always fucceeding an epileptic paroxyfm, does not depend upon compreflion, but upon a certain ftate of immobility of the nervous power, produced by certain circumftances in the nervous fyftem it- felf, which feem to be communicated from one part of the body to another and at length to the brain. MLX. The fame obfervation may be made with refpect to many inftances of hyfteric paroxyfm ; and the circumftances, both of epileptic and hyfteric paroxyfms, ending in coma, or a degree of apoplexy, lead me to think, that the apoplexy pro- ceding