The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 542 of 653Dropsy is never an idiopathic disease, but always secondary,although it sometimes appears to be of a primary character. In geeral, all conditions which, in the long run, interfere with the clation, or retain the water in the blood, lead to dropsy ; likewiany other conditions that result in the production of a high gradof hypersemia or ansemia. In most cases, however, something elsehas to become associated with these conditions, otherwise it woulbe difficult to comprehend why many anomalies should be able tocontinue so long before resulting in the development of dropsy. Ware unacquainted with the nature of this something ; whether it ia relaxation of the coata of the vessels, or a more copious supplof water in the blood, or whatever else, we have not yet been ablto find out. Most likely it is from this unknown cause that dropsconsequent upon a general marasmus, without any special, mechanical cause results. In accordance with the above-mentioned threecategories, dropsy sets in, if the flow of the venous blood intoright heart is interfered with ; if the circulation is obstructed646 Constitutional Diseases without Definite Infection.thrombi in the larger venous trunks (as for instance in consequenof phlebitis in the lower extremity, in the case of lyingascites arising from inflammation of the vena portarnm); in thecase of pulmonary affections impeding the reflux of the blood, suas emphysema, hydro-thorax, pneumo-thorax ; in consequence ofaffections of the liver resulting from obstructions of the portalculation. — In the case of renal affections, if the function of tkidneys is very much interfered with ; in chlorosis, affections ospleen with hydremia, after copious losses of blood, or after sevdebilitating diseases, in general in conditions of debility of aorder.Symptoms. At the onset dropsy is more or less local ; as arule, it commences with a swelling round the ankles, less frequenin the face ; ascites takes place only when the liver is diseasedthis case it may remain localized as ascites ; in the former casegradually spreads throughout the whole of the subcutaneous cellultissue, unites with ascites, and finally with cedema of the lungsbrain, in which case death soon results.Dropsical effusions are generally accompanied and sometimespreceded by prostration, and by decrease of the urinary secretionThe urine is dark, saturated, becoming cloudy in a short time; thquantity is sometimes very scanty. All the other watery secretionare likewise less, or they are entirely suspended ; the stools ardry, the skin is dry and cracks easily, incapable of perspirationmucous membranes are likewise dry, on which account the patientis often tormented by a distressing thirst.Dropsy at times develops itself very speedily and universally,sometimes slowly and progressing very gradually. It is esj>eciallafter nephritis that water accumulates very rapidly ; it collectsslowly in company with affections of the lungs. It is unnecessaryfor us to describe the special forms of dropsy ; these forms andconstitutional symptoms accompanying them, can easily be determined without any further description.The Course of the disease is at times uninterrupted, leadinghttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt