Excerpt from Clinical Lectures on Certain Acute Diseases The author has not referred to the hypothesis suggested by some who admit the necessity of a considerable modification of practice in the treatment of acute diseases; namely, that the type of disease has undergone material change of late years, and has assumed a much lower grade as regards vital power, owing either to some change in the human constitution, or to some atmospheric modification which has taken place in recent times. It is supposed that this modification dates from the period of the first introduction of cholera into these countries. Upon this point, the author can say that he has been a not careless observer of disease for several years antecedent to the first cholera epidemic. At no time was the antiphlogistic treat ment (so called) more rife than some years prior to the cholera epidemic, and many excellent observers were then beginning to see that it was carried too far, and was inadequate for its object in either cutting short or curing disease. Certainly Opportu nities of studying the morbid anatomy of acute diseases, pneu monia, pericarditis, endocarditis, pleurisy, were then; and for many years afterwards, much'more common than now, when such inspections are among the least frequent in our hospital theatres. The author has notes of many cases treated in this way, which he is confident would have recovered, had vital power been not only spared but upheld. 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.