The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 160 of 6534. Influenza.Grippe.Influenza is not by any means a simple catarrh of the respiratoryorgans, though the anatomical changes indicate such a condition ;but a peculiar, complicated and combined catarrh which in pointof importance and treatment differs essentially from simple bronchitis. This instance shows most conclusively that it is wrong toundertake to determine the character of a disease by the anatomiclesions it occasions.The etiology of influenza is completely enveloped in obscurity.It is an epidemic disease which may prevail in any season, and isfrequently associated with other epidemic affections. Most commonly it spreads over a large extent of country and attacks anybody, although individuals who are affected with pulmonary diseases, more particularly tuberculous individuals, are most liableits visitations. The most extensive influenza-epidemics have sprefrom east to west. We again call attention to the connection between influenza and the amount of ozone in the atmosphere.Symptoms* If latterly every bronchial catarrh with typhoidsymptoms has been designated as influenza, this appellation is nomore proper than it is proper to refuse this name to larger or smepidemics for no better reason than because they do not come upeither in extent or fatality to the epidemic of 1838. We apply thInfluenza. 183name grippe or influenza to every bronchitis invading a large surface of country and involving with marked symptoms of illnessthe whole organism, more especially the nervous system, attackinga number of individuals in the same epidemic with very i*imilarsymptoms, although these may dili'er ever so much in diflerentepidemics.The phenomena referring to the respiratory organs are altogetherthose of an acute bronchitis, such as we have described in previoparagraphs, and which easily changes to the capillary form; theyare accompanied by catarrh of the nose, larynx and trachea, andare distinguished by the obstinacy and slowness of their course,times being very intense and at other times so completely disguisby the constitutional disturbance that they ar^ easily overlookedInfluenza is generally preceded by a preliminary stage where thelocal symptoms of catarrh of the respiratory organs are still waning, or are but imperfectly developed, whereas the patient complaalready very much of an extreme languor, with nervous excitement,sleeplessness and loss of appetite, without or with only slight fAs the fever increases, the local symptoms become generally moremarked and more intense. At times a coryza is the only prominentsymptom, at other times the mucous lining, from the nose to thefinest bronchial ramifications, is inflamed. At the same time aviolent and constant headache is complained of, which is commonlylocated in the forehead and is marked by all the peculiarities th80 commonly characterize the headache in an incipient typhus. Thiheadache is accompanied by rheumatoid pains in many parts of thehttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt