The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 204 of 653to repair the disorder. It has the same phenomena as chroniccatarrh, or chronic catarrh in conjunction with emphysema whichis scarcely ever absent.Sacculated bronchiectasia is much more important, because iteasily leads to suppuration and gang eue of the mucous membrane,Emphysema Pulmonum. 235and very frequently presents the picture of pulmonary phthisis, agenerally modifies quite extensively the results of percussion anauscultation. Atrophy of the lungs superinduces retractions of thcorresponding intercostal space, which, however, are not oftenobserved at the apex of the lungs; the percussion-sound is dull,auscultation does not reveal any vesicular murmur, but bronchialrespiration or else consonant murmurs, pectoriloquy, wheezing,coarse rales. The diagnosis is somewhat complicated, dependingrather upon the absence of general symptoms of tuberculosis thanupon the presence of any directly observed phenomena. In a caseof severe chronic bronchial catarrh, bronchiectasia may be suspecwith a tolerable degree of certainty if the expectoration has a vfetid odor. Otherwise the symptoms here are likewise the same asin chronic bronchial catarrh, very often associated with the phenomena resulting from the presence of emphysema which is veryapt to supervene on such occasions.Of course the treatment cannot aim at restoring the elasticityand contractility of the bronchia; hence it cannot be directed agthe bronchiectasia, but the physician has to make the cure of theaccompanying catarrh the chief object of his attention. Even adilatation caused by an acute catarrh, if it should have been correctly diagnosed, does not require any special treatment. If weonce have become satisfied of the presence of bronchiectasia, wefeel convinced that the existing bronchial catarrh cannot be enticured, and we refrain from instituting fruitless experiments; atsame time as we may obtain light concerning the proper remediesto be prescribed which, of course, can only aim at a palliation othe symptoms. For all that, though bronchiectasia is an undesirable complication, yet it does not necessarily render the prognosin a case of bronchitis more doubtful. Such patients may live toan old age, even if afl^ected with sacculated bronchiectasia, ifexpectoration is decidedly purulent, and has a foul odor.8. EmpliyBeina Pnlmonum.Emphysema of the Lungs.Two essentially different kinds of emphysema have been described,an interlobular arising from the passage of air into the pulmonarconnective tissue, and a vesicular representing an entirely diffeprocess, namely a dilatation of the air-cells. We have only to dewith the latter form.Emphysema very commonly arises in consequence of processes in236 Diseases of the Lungs.http://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt