The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 265 of 653accompanied by a more or less high grade of dyspnoea and fine r&Iin the recently-invaded portions of the lungs which, unless speedcounter-acted, are soon succeeded by the above-described signs ofpulmonary oedema.In chronic oedema the above-described symptoms develop themselves much more slowly, and they are variously modified by theprimary disease.Generally the oedema is complicated with oedema of the extremities, sexual organs, serous transsudations into the pleura or pertoneum; percussion yields a dull sound in the lower portions ofthe lungs.Course, Termination, Proffnosis. Acute oedema generallydevelops itself with more or less rapidity, and if the symptoms avery violent, may soon terminate fatally. This is most frequentlythe case, if henomena of collateral congestion set in during thecourse of inflammatory processes in the lungs, pleura, heart, etcThis termination was designated by the ancients as apoplexia pulmonura serosa. In such cases the highest degree of dyspnoea veryspeedily develops itself; amid a constantly-increasing anxiety anrestlessness the patients soon become cyanotic, cough a great deaand expectorate a quantity of frothy serum, more or less tingedwith blood; suddenly they become quiet; sopor and trachealrattling set in, and they die very suddenly of asphyxia consequenupon poisoning of the blood by carbonic acid.Chronic oedema of the lungs generally runs a slow course, andoften has remissions ; sometimes life is suddenly terminated by aacute eftusion. If the constitutional vigor is well preserved, chCBdema can be removed more easily than an acute attack which isgenerally very dangerous ; for this reason the prognosis, as fardanger to life is concerned, is more favorable in a case of chronthan acute oedema.Treatment. In all diseases in the course of which acute pulmonary oedema may set in, the supervention of a sudden dyspnoeawith a characteristic cough and sputa, deserve our most seriousattention. If a more or less violent fever supervenes during the810 Diseases of the Lungs.dyspnoea, we at once give Aconite 3, every quarter of an hour, orevery half hour or hour; the result is generally favorable. At anrate the exhibition of this drug secures us the advantage of moderating the violence of the oedema, and giving the physician timeto arrange a suitable couree of treatment.As soon as fine rales are heard, and the dyspnoea is increasing,even without any sputa, we give at once Phosphorus 8, continuingthis remedy even if a copious frothy serum, tinged with blood, isexpectorated. This remedy sometimes has a brilliant effect; oftenin a few hours the whole trouble is ended.If the cough is strikingly spasmodic, we very soon perceive abluish color of the lips and tongue ; in such a case there is gredanger on account of the capillary engorgement that threatens tohttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt