The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 350 of 653the articulation.Ostitis of this central character always runs a chronic course.Its terminations are suppuration or ossification of the exudationThe pus is seldom reabsorbed, nor does it often become transformed into a tubercular mass ; most generally it escapes outwardand, unless the disease is cured, caries and necrosis result. Theichorous dissolution of the exudation generally determines a morerapid course of the disease. If one of the large bones is invadedby the suppurative process, death almost always results, althoughin some cases not till the patient has lived through years of sufing. An important diagnostic symptom is the presence of albumenin the urine ; it almost always occurs if the suppuration is exteand afgurs very badly for the final result.The importance of inflammations of bones varies a good deal.Age exerts a characteristic influence ; whereas children and youn412 Diseases of the Bones, Muscles, and Articulations.people generally recover from such inflammations, even if theseshould last a long while, unless they originate in inveterate, cotutional maladies; older persons, especially when on the other siof forty, generally fall victims to such inflammations. Childrenvery often recover when the second period of dentition sets in, owhen they enter upon the period of pubescence. The seat of ostitiis of no small importance; inflammation of the bones in the upperpart of the body is less dangerous than inflammation of the pelvibones, or the bones of the lower extremities. It is likewise impoto determine whether the inflammation is so located that vitalorgans may become involved ; on this account inflammations of theskull-bones and ribs are more threatening on account of the dangeof meningitis or pleuritis resulting from them. What renders theprognosis in every case of non-traumatic inflammation doubtful, ithe uncertainty concerning the transformation and extent of theexudation. Sometimes the inflammatory symptoms disappearentirely for a time, and then suddenly reappear again from somecause or other, or without any cause; or else, in one portion ofbone the inflammation runs a favorable course, and then all at ontakes a new start either continuously in the tissue of the bone oin separate portions. Every inflammation involving more than onebone, renders the prognosis so much more unfavorable.Among the terminations of ostitis we have to mention two ofparticular importance, caries and necrosis.Caries represents a process where the purulent transformation ofthe inflammatory exudation, involves the destruction of the bonysubstance; hence it always implies a loss of substance of boneoccurs more particularly in scrofulous and tuberculous, but maylikewise take place in perfectly healthy individuals. It most commonly involves the spongy portion of the bones.The symptoms of caries vary greatly like those of ostitis. Inrare cases, if the pus has no escape or the carious portion of bois very small, it may remain a latent disorganization. In othercases the pus finds an outlet outwardly, and the rough surface ofthe bone can be felt with the sound ; the detached particles of bhttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt