3. Suppuration is the formation of pus ;
that is, yellow matter, which is very seldom
absorbed, and whose best destiny is to be
got out of the body by an opening, natural
or artificial, at or near the external surface.
Every ' ' gathering ' ' or abscess is an ex-
ample of this. PycEinia is a general disorder
of the system, with a disposition towards
the formation of collections of pus in differ-
ent organs, with fever and much weakness,
endangering life.
4. Mortification, also 0.2^^^ gangrene ,
or sloughing, is the actual death of the part.
Frozen feet mortify, not from inflammation,
but from the directly killing eflect of cold.
Inflammation does not often end in mortifi-
cation ; if it does so, it is either from the
extreme intensity of the inflammatory pro-
cess, or from a very low vital condition of
the patient affected.
Inflammation is modified considerably
by specific causes of disease. A gouty toe
is one example of this ; a wrist or elbow in-
flamed with rheumatic fever is another.
The sore throat of quinsy, that of scarlet
fever, and that of diphtheria, are all inflam-
mations, yet each somewhat different from
the others. The pustule of vaccination and
that of genuine small-pox are not precisely
alike ; and still different is that of chicken-
pox ; and so on with other specific diseases.
Chronic inflammation is not a desirable
term, though it is used in all medical books.
In it, redness, pain, or at least soreness, and
more or less swelling, are present, in vary-
ing degrees ; but there is no effusion of
lymph, which really is the characteristic
of a true inflammation. Irritability is a
usual part of what is called chronic inflam-
mation ; we might often with advantage
speak of this in describing the disorder :
thus, irritable eyes, irritable stomach, irrit-
able bladder, irritable womb, irritable brain,
etc.
Hypertrophy or Overgrowth.
Ove7'growth is the meaning of this word ;
increase in size without essential change in
the nature of a part. An organ may enlarge
very much, with a great change in its char-
acter ; for example, a tumor of the breast,
or a drops}^ of the head. Again, an organ
may be stretched or dilated without even an
increase of its substance.
The heart exemplifies two of these
changes in different instances. If one of its
valves through which the blood passes be-
comes obstructed from disease, the heart has
to labor more than usually to compel the
blood to pass by the obstruction. Like
other muscles (the heart being really a
hollow muscle), this extra labor may have
either of two results, according to the con-
ditions present. If the person's constitu-
tion be strong, and his blood well nourished,
the much- worked heart will grow thicker
and more powerful with the exercise. This
is hypertrophy . But, if the contrary be the
case, with a feeble system and poor blood,
the heart is weakened by its excess of labor,
and it stretches or becomes thin (attenuated)
and dilated.
The thickening of the skin of a working-
man 's hands shows an increased growth
from habitual rough usage. A corn is a
hypertrophy, and so is a zcart ; both involv-
ing almost entirely the outer skin or cuticle.
Wens and pimples show a greater change of
substance with enlargement.
Atrophy and Degeneration.
Page 127
Presented as published in 1901. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
3. Suppuration is the formation of pus ; that is, yellow matter, which is very seldom absorbed, and whose best destiny is to be got out of the body by an opening, natural or artificial, at or near the external surface. Every ' ' gathering ' ' or abscess is an example of this. PycEinia is a general disorder of the system, with a disposition towards the formation of collections of pus in different organs, with fever and much weakness, endangering life.
4. Mortification, also or gangrene , or sloughing, is the actual death of the part. Frozen feet mortify, not from inflammation, but from the directly killing eflect of cold. Inflammation does not often end in mortification ; if it does so, it is either from the extreme intensity of the inflammatory process, or from a very low vital condition of the patient affected.
Inflammation is modified considerably by specific causes of disease. A gouty toe is one example of this ; a wrist or elbow inflamed with rheumatic fever is another. The sore throat of quinsy, that of scarlet fever, and that of diphtheria, are all inflammations, yet each somewhat different from the others. The pustule of vaccination and that of genuine small-pox are not precisely alike ; and still different is that of chickenpox ; and so on with other specific diseases.
Chronic inflammation is not a desirable term, though it is used in all medical books.
In it, redness, pain, or at least soreness, and more or less swelling, are present, in varying degrees ; but there is no effusion of lymph, which really is the characteristic of a true inflammation. Irritability is a usual part of what is called chronic inflammation ; we might often with advantage speak of this in describing the disorder : thus, irritable eyes, irritable stomach, irritable bladder, irritable womb, irritable brain, etc.
Hypertrophy or Overgrowth.
Ove7'growth is the meaning of this word ; increase in size without essential change in the nature of a part. An organ may enlarge very much, with a great change in its character ; for example, a tumor of the breast, or a dropsy of the head. Again, an organ may be stretched or dilated without even an increase of its substance.
The heart exemplifies two of these changes in different instances. If one of its valves through which the blood passes becomes obstructed from disease, the heart has to labor more than usually to compel the blood to pass by the obstruction. Like other muscles (the heart being really a hollow muscle), this extra labor may have either of two results, according to the conditions present. If the person's constitution be strong, and his blood well nourished, the much- worked heart will grow thicker and more powerful with the exercise. This is hypertrophy . But, if the contrary be the case, with a feeble system and poor blood, the heart is weakened by its excess of labor, and it stretches or becomes thin (attenuated) and dilated.
The thickening of the skin of a workingman 's hands shows an increased growth from habitual rough usage. A corn is a hypertrophy, and so is a wart ; both involving almost entirely the outer skin or cuticle. Wens and pimples show a greater change of substance with enlargement.
Atrophy and Degeneration.