The doctrine of purgation. Curiosities from ancient and modern literature. A collection of quotations on the use of purgatives from Hippocrates and other medical writers / [Benjamin Brandreth].

  • Brandreth, Benjamin, 1807-1880.
Date:
1871
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The doctrine of purgation. Curiosities from ancient and modern literature. A collection of quotations on the use of purgatives from Hippocrates and other medical writers / [Benjamin Brandreth]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Hypochon- dria ; — the causes indi- cate the cure. Ftt,rgaUves. Hamilton en- dorsed. Fever. The peristal- tic motion is diminished. Emptying only of the intestines not suffi- cient. Purgatives are good in neurosis; in chorea, hysteria, chlorosis; (“ Emmena- gogues.”) Also good as “* antiph lo- gistics. 130 THE DOCTRINE OF PURGATION. \ 544. Hypochondria.—“ The digestive organs are almost always tor- pid.” Some kind of acrimony is also almost found in the stomach, and particularly that of acidity. The pain in the epigastrium may be re- lieved by the pressure of a belt broad enough to support the whole of the lower belly. Congestions in one or more of the abdominal viscera are a frequent result, and not unfrequently a primary cause. . . ITence we see why the bleeding piles are often so serviceable us to have obtained the name of “ medicina hypochondriacoruin ” (vol. IV., pp. 158,159). Paris, J. A., M. D., Pharmacology, Qth Ed., London, 1825. 545. Purgatives.—The extent of their importance and value were, however, never justly appreciated until the valuable publication of Dr. Hamilton on this subject. . . . His practice has clearly proved that a state of bowels may exist in many diseases, giving rise to a retention of feculent matter, which will not be obviated by the occasional adminis- tration of a purgative, but which requires a continuation of the alvine stimulant, until the healthy action of the bowels is re-established. Since this view of the object has been adopted, numerous diseases have re- ceived alleviation from the use of purgatives that were formerly treated with a different class of remedies, and which were not supposed to have any connection with the state of alvine evacuations (p. 167, vol. IA 546. Thus in fever the peristaltic motion of the intestines is dimin- ished, and their feculent contents are unduly retained, and, perhaps, in part absorbed, becoming of course a source of morbid irritation. This fact has been long understood, and the practice of administering cathar- tic medicines under such circumstances has been very generally adopted. 547. But until the publication of Dr. Hamilton, physicians were not aware of the necessity of camping the plan to an extent beyond that of merely emptying the primes vice, and they did not continue the free use of these remedies through the whole progress of the disease (ibid). 548. Cathartics are essentially serviceable, also, in several diseases of the class neurosis, which are generally intimately connected with a mor- bid condition of the alimentary passages (p. 168, ibid). 549. Chorea and hysteria have been very successfully treated in this manner. The diseases incident to puberty in both sexes are also best re- lieved by a course of purgative medicines, and their effects in chlorosis have conferred upon many of them the specific title of Emmenagogues (ibid). 550. But the therapeutical utility of cathartics extends beyond the mere feculent evacuations which they may occasion. In consequence of the stimulating action which some of them exert upon the exhalent ves- sels, they abstract a considerable portion of fluid from the general current of the circulation, and are, on that account, beneficial as antiphlogistics (ibid). Dr. Paris is sciolistic as to the history of purgatives; their use was better understood in the time of Parey (1620) than when Hamilton wrote (1794).