Erasmus Darwin

“ That this stimulus of the momentum of the particles of the circulating fluid is of the greatest consequence to the arterial action, appears from the experiment of injecting air into the blood vessels, which seems to destroy animal life from the want of this stimulus of momentum; for the distention of the arteries is not diminished by it, it possesses no corrosive acrimony, and is less liable to repass the valves than the blood itself; since air-valves in all machinery require much less accuracy of construction than those which are opposed to water. ”

“ Now nothing can so strongly evince that this quick small pulse is owing to defect of irritability, than that an additional stimulus, above what is natural, makes it become slower and larger immediately: for what is meant by a defect of irritability, but that the arteries and heart are not excited into their usual exertions by their usual quantity of stimulus? but if you increase the quantity of stimulus, and they immediately act with their usual energy, this proves their previous want of their natural degree of irritability. ”

“ The pain in the small of the back and forehead in the cold fits of the ague, in nervous hemicrania, and in hysteric paroxysms, when all the irritative motions are much impaired, seems to arise from this cause; the vessels of these membranes or muscles become torpid by their irritative associations with other parts of the body, and thence produce less of their accustomed secretions, and in consequence less heat is evolved, and they experience the pain of cold; which coldness may often be felt by the hand applied upon the affected part. ”

“ In fever-fits attended with strength, that is with great quantity of sensorial power, it removes the additional stimulus of heat from the surfaces above mentioned, and thus prevents their excess of useless motion; and in fever-fits attended with debility, that is with a deficiency of the quantity of sensorial power, it prevents the great and dangerous waste of sensorial power expended in the unnecessary increase of the actions of the glands and capillaries of the skin and lungs. ”

“ Thus in cold fits of agues, in hysteric palpitations of the heart, and when the body is much exhausted by hæmorrhages, or by fatigue, as well as in nervous fevers, the pulse becomes quick and small; and secondly, in all those cases if an increase of stimulus be added, by giving a little wine or opium; the quick small pulse becomes slower and larger, as any one may easily experience on himself, by counting his pulse after drinking one or two glasses of wine, when he is faint from hunger or fatigue. ”

“ As far as I have been able to observe, the periods of inflammatory diseases observe the solar day; as the gout and rheumatism have their greatest quiescence about noon and midnight, and their exacerbations some hours after; as they have more frequently their immediate cause from cold air, inanition, or fatigue, than from the effects of lunations: whilst the cold fits of hysteric patients, and those in nervous fevers, more frequently occur twice a day, later by near half an hour each time, according to the lunar day ”

“ Do not the cold periods of lunar diseases commence a few hours before the southing of the moon during the vernal and summer months, and before the northing of the moon during the autumnal and winter months? ”

“ Hence the bathing in a cold spring of water, where the heat is but forty-eight degrees on Fahrenheit's thermometer, much disagrees with those of weak or inirritable habits of body; who possess so little sensorial power, that they cannot without injury bear to have it diminished even for a short time ”

“ The heart being thus stopped, when it is but half emptied, begins sooner to dilate again; and the arteries being dilated to less than their usual diameters, begin so much sooner to contract themselves; insomuch, that in the last stages of fevers with weakness the frequency of pulsation of the heart and arteries becomes doubled; which, however, is never the case in fevers with strength, in which they seldom exceed 118 or 120 pulsations in a minute. It must be added, that in these cases, while the pulse is very small and very quick, the heart often feels large, and labouring to one's hand ”

“ As weak people are liable to a deficient quantity of blood, this cause may occasionally contribute to quicken the pulse in fevers with debility, which may be known by applying one's hand upon the heart as above; but the principal cause I suppose to consist in the diminution of sensorial power. When a muscle contains, or is supplied with but little sensorial power, its contraction soon ceases, and in consequence may soon recur, as is seen in the trembling hands of people weakened by age or by drunkenness. See Sect. ”

“ Hence, though the best way to calculate the time of the expected returns of the paroxysms of periodical diseases is to count the number of hours between the commencement of the two preceding fits, yet the following observations may be worth attending to, when we endeavour to prevent the returns of maniacal or epileptic diseases; whose periods (at the beginning of them especially) frequently observe the syzygies of the moon and sun, and particularly about the equinox. ”

“ In cases however of debility from paucity of blood, as in animals which are bleeding to death in the slaughter-house, the quick pulsations of the heart and arteries may be owing to their not being distended to more than half their usual diastole ”

“ Now as these tides of water, or of air, are raised by the diminution of their gravity, it follows, that their pressure on the surface of the earth is no greater than the pressure of the other parts of the ocean, or of the atmosphere, where no such tides exist ”

“ We must, however, observe, that the periods of quiescence and exacerbation in diseases do not always commence at the times of the syzygies or quadratures of the moon and sun, or at the times of their passing the zenith or nadir ”

“ Since a pendulum of a certain length moves slower at the line than near the poles, because the gravity being diminished and the vis inertiæ continuing the same, the motive power is less, but the resistance to be overcome continues the same. ”

“ The combined powers of the lunar and solar attraction is estimated by Sir Isaac Newton not to exceed one 7,868,850th part of the power of gravitation, which seems indeed but a small circumstance to produce any considerable effect on the weight of sublunary bodies, and yet this is sufficient to raise the tides at the equator above ten feet high ”

“ With decreased Actions of other Cavities and Membranes.
SPECIES.
1. Sitis calida.Thirst warm. —— frigida.—— cold. 2. Esuries.Hunger. 3. Nausea sicca.Dry Nausea. 4. Ægritudo ventriculi.Sickness of stomach. 5. Cardialgia.Heart-burn. 6. Arthritis ventriculi.Gout of the stomach. 7. ”

“ Colica flatulenta.Flatulent colic. 8. Colica saturnina.Colic from lead. 9. Tympanitis.Tympany. 10. Hypochondriasis.Hypochondriacism. 11. Cephalæa frigida.Cold head-ach. 12. Odontalgia.Tooth-ach. 13. Otalgia.Ear-ach. 14. Pleurodyne chronica.Chronical pain of the side. 15. Sciatica frigida.Cold sciatica. 16. Lumbago frigida.—— lumbago. 17. Hysteralgia frigida.—— pain of the uterus. 18. Proctalgia frigida.—— pain of the rectum. 19. Vesicæ felleæ inirritibilitas et icterus. Inirritability of the gall-bladder and jaundice.
GENUS V.
With decreased Actions of the Organs of Sense. ”

“ With decreased actions of the secerning system. 3. With decreased actions of the absorbent system. 4. With decreased actions of other cavities and membranes. 5. With decreased actions of the organs of sense. ”

“ Lingua arida.Dry tongue. 2. Fauces aridæ.Dry throat. 3. Nares aridi.Dry nostrils. 4. Expectoratio solida.Solid expectoration. 5. Constipatio alvi.Costiveness. 6. Cutis arida.Dry skin. 7. Urina parcior colorata.Diminished coloured urine. 8. Calculus felleus et icterus.Gall-stone and jaundice. 9. —— renis.Stone of the kidney. 10. —— vesicæ.Stone of the bladder. 11. —— arthriticus.Gout-stone. 12. Rheumatismus chronicus. Chronic rheumatism. 13. Cicatrix vulnerum.Healing of ulcers. 14. Corneæ obfuscatio.Scar on the cornea.
GENUS IV.
With increased Actions of other Cavities and Membranes. ”