The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 321 of 653consequences resulting from it to the general organism. Underfavorable circumstances such patients may live to an old age provided they live within the bounds of moderation, prudence andfrugality. If other morbid dispositions exist, the cardiac diseasmay give them a fatal start. Cerebral as well as pulmonary apoplexy of young people is preeminently a consequence of cardiachypertrophy. If hypertrophy coexists with, or is depending uponaneurism or an atheromatous condition of the vessels, it acts botas a compensation to the obstructed circulation and as a (^ause othe rupture of the vessels. We should always bear in mind that\ imple hypertrophy is not, of itself, a dangerous condition, butthat it becomes dangerous as soon as valvular defects arise. We,therefore, refer the reader to the chapter on valvular diseases wall these complications will be explained and accounted for.Professor Niemeyer furnishes the following excellent diagnosticdetails : For eccentric hypertrophy of the left ventricle : Visibpulsation of the carotids ; loud systolic murmur in the large artries, full pulse which is visible even m the smaller arteries;increased impulse of the heart, felt much higher up from the apexthe apex of the heart reaches lower down than normally; largerextent of dulness from the apex upwards; increase of the soundsof the heart in the left ventricle and in the aorta, and sometimemetallic ringing. — For the hypertrophy of the right ventricle:Stronger impulse of the heart, extending to the sternum and sometimes even to the left lobe of the liver ; displacement of the apoutwards, scarcely ever at the same time downwards ; greater extent of cardiac dulness in breadth, increase of the sounds of theheart, in the right ventricle and in the pulmonary artery, thesecond sound of which is most important. — For hypertrophy withdilatation : The arteries and the pulse as in hypertrophy of theventricle ; the impulse of the heart is considerably stronger andextending more in length and breadth ; the apex of the heart poinHypertrophia Cordis. 877lower down and outwardly; cardiac dulness is felt over a largerarea in every direction ; all the sounds of the heart are louder.The prognosis becomes in the long run unfavorable, for thereason that the disorder bears within itself the conditions ofgrowth.Treatment* That cardiac hypertrophy is a curable disease aslong as the disorder is not too far developed, is admitted on allsides, although the chances of a cure are not very great. Moatpathologists, however, doubt whether a cure can be effected by thdirect action of medicine. Before indicating the drugs that requito be used in the treatment of this disease, it may be well to ofa few suggestions that may be of importance in conducting thetreatment.If hypertrophy .is a necessary and compensating consequence ofother morbid conditions, it would be wrong, by removing the*hypertrophy, to disturb the equilibrium which the hypertrophyhad restored. Fortunately, this is not well possible ; nevertheleattempts are too readily made to depress the apparently excessiveenergy of the left heart more particularly, and it is this proceehttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt