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INFLAMMATION AND BRAIN DISEASES. 351
CHAPTER XXIV.
INFLAMMATION AND BRAIN DISEASES.
—As Inflammation. inflammation is the essential con
stituent of nearly all acute diseases, and lays the founda
tion of nearly all chronic affections, an understanding of
its nature, causes, effects, and treatment, will make the
rest of my task an easy one.
Inflammation is characterized by four —heat,
signs
redness, pain, and swelling. But either may exist
alone, without inflammation, There may be redness
from blushing, heat, or friction ; pain may be neuralgic,
or spasmodic, when it is diminished by pressure ; swell
ing may be dropsical, or impossible, as in inflammation
of the brain.
causes of inflammation are heat, cold,
The exciting
injuries ; the real cause lies deeper,
in a morbid con
dition of the system. In a pure and vigorous system,
/ neither heat, nor cold, nor cause injuries inflammations.
The most terrible wounds heal rapidly, and with no
bad effects; while, in an impure and debilitated system,
a slight chill will produce an inflammation of the lungs,
and a slight injury the swelling of an entire limb. We
have, then, the same cause for inflammation as for
fever ; and fever, as I said before, is only a general in
flammation, and inflammation is only
fever.
a circumscribed