Baltimore Medical Journal Volume 1 (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: TIHIiK! A MONTHLY RECORD OK MEDICINE AND SURGERY. Vol. I. FEBRUARY, 1870. No. 2. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. A PLEA FOR "COUNTER-IRRITATION." BY K. T. MILES, M. D., Professor of Anatomy in the University of Maryland. THE present time seems strikingly marked by a freedom from the weakness of regarding things as good simply because they are old, or as claiming our consideration because they have for a long time excited the respect of others. Indeed, unreasoning veneration for the past has been assailed on all sides by blows so vigorous and successful, that there seems to have sprung up a superstitious value for everything that claims to be new, an unscientific facility for accepting, without criticism, "the last word," as truth. Amongst the time-honored ideas in our profession which have been of late assaulted with vigor, by those who speak with a voice potential upon medical matters, is that of "counter-irritation"?the irritation of the skin with a view to influencing favorably the condition of a diseased organ situated at a distance from the spot irritated?which, it is asserted, rests on no knowledge of the connection and relation of parts, but is "a relic of notions belonging to times antecedent to Vol. I?9. the birth of scientific physiology." Referring to the application of blisters, croton oil, etc., to the chest and belly for relief of diseases of the organs within those cavities, Dickinson says: "It is easy to show that there is no direct communication in these cases, by nerves, or blood vessels between the skin and the organs which it is desired to influence, and it is not easy, or, perhaps, I may venture to say, it is not possible, to show how the deep inflammation can be advantageously influenced by such proceedings." (" Practitioner," August, '69....