Book Description

Excerpt from The Medico-Chirurgical Review, Vol. 37: And Journal of Practical Medicine; (1st of April to 30th of September), 1842 Summary of Experiments on the Motions and Sounds of the Heart. - Dr. Clendinning has drawn up a report of the Committees of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The report contains the conclusions deducible from the two series of experiments and observations instituted by these Committees both on the motions and sounds of the heart. Among the most important of these in a practical point of view are, that the order of the motions of the auricles and ventricles is by continuous succession, rather than by alternation of action, the auricles contracting abruptly after the rest or pause, and the ventricles immediately after the auricles; that the normal systolic action of the auricles is energetic and almost instantaneous, and that the normal auricular diastole is gradual, continuous, and wholly passive; that the systole of the ventricles is gradual in its development; that the arterial diastole or pulse perceptibly succeeds to the cardiac systole; that the first sound of the heart depends partly on the abrupt closure of the aurico-ventricular valves, but is mainly owing to cardiac muscular tension alone; that the auricular systole is attended by an intrinsic sound resembling that of the ventricles, but more short, obtuse, and feeble, often difficult of detection, owing to its being absorbed in the louder ventricular systolic sound immediately succeeding; that the sounds of friction in pericarditis may, when well marked, be expected to be double, and sometimes triple, or more; that the sounds of the structurally healthy heart are liable to modifications by alterations in the condition of the fluids; and that the suction influence on the venous circulation, attributed to inspiration by various writers, is well founded. Inefficiency of Remedies for Fever. - Some remarks on the treatment of continued fever have been made by Dr. Eager, of Manchester, and a comparison drawn between the effects of emollients, antiphlogistics, and purgatives. The conclusion at which Dr. Eager arrives is, that in the milder forms all kinds of treatment, when not too exciting, have proved more or less successful, and that, as in the more severe forms patients have recovered under the most opposite methods, it is probable the means adopted have had little influence, and that nature alone acted. It should perhaps be stated that many of Dr. Eager's cases were observed in Paris and the rest in Manchester. In all the fatal cases examined after death, one only excepted, the follicular affection was present. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.