The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-03-28

liz OuT BCklcIs NM tnc OlitNif- YUM
municatica, ttbe FIST of n short series Of papci>
on the Same suhject,) worthy of an attentive peru
sal. II comes from the pen Of one who understands
the subject onw hich be writes, and whose meth
Cd Of treating II, we rr sRre, VIII seMTaIly
please-ED.
THE PREVENTION OF SCROFCLA.
Not
GWhat Is this new disease. Scrofula. about
which We hear so much lately - is there any
way Of preventing ii :" These s:e qaesirns
which the physician daily lra. addressed To HIM,
and to which the community need a,nl expect an
-wers. 1t is the design Of this and Iir ic'lcwing
articles to furnish such Information on these l+'inis
aS the imperfect intelligence of The community on
medical subjects will enable Them to comi'r'-
bend : TO the end thai bv proper habits al lIft
they NAV as far as possible. he enable'l to a.uhi
the causes which ,icvcl"pc scrofnlOns diseases i
constitutions p~rc'ii>rosci thereto or otherwise.
To teach how 10 treat s~cro;nla incidentally. Is ns
part Of the purpose OF the writer: not h+rTin-c In
NIGH thereby injurc his profession; for where the
interests of the public and the medical faculty
rome in confIirt, the interests OF the pnblic should
prevail. and VIII prevail, with L"nr-t men {:
Tut bccas;se if the mnprotc>sional part of The pco-
pie undertake tn ,l'.inr themselves for scr"in-
lou> Diseases or any thin. else. the lrodsibi!iry l.
thai they will "vcr,;o the business. S''Metinit-r
often i;s,!cr'!. thc CONTRARY l. the ease; Int the
chances :r,. thar III ' viii DO themselves morc
,iurr than cool. Ii i nowhere mere true IsrAn
in the business 81 .iviar: mcd'ri'rs-spc'-Eilly
in srrcfniI-iliai = little icarnii;. l. :: dangerous
thing. y large share cf s,rufulvus a~tict;i"t's
ncc.l 10 n"h'rr Tie n%naid'r, :"r H.
ut ;,:,r.. mel Ii IL. anil that, in almost all
.n>I. urc,. .f ,hc mii.irs 81 Kind. I:u' where med
Hal treatment is ncce<<ary, i, must. 10 lie .ne-
,c->;ul ar SAFE, he adapted iO the ease Will q
nirriy IL 'ii.ci Elimination wbir, attentive sr""i,r
..irl i ilIv:"a@:I knowledge of the NATURE and
modification of the disease can alone supply
Hln"illr-. va = particular ease. fie disease n,tri
mc,!iriIic NJ all, whether - srrvfulous'e rupii"ii
or :, s,1,,fnloIS swelling. in - given instance.
>l,"us,! lie suppressed or lei. ia f.s!f;-rhest
1uc.lions and many oilrr>. need fn ririr dr,i>-
ion a .ls-rec 81 knowledge wiirh people in =cnrr-
al by hr means possess. nor ran expert !" obtain.
For this reason ! shall stop S!t"Tt Of aifemPiin:
10 teach the irealincnt Of s%crOfnla-
Many rro2le, hav ing heard little Of s~crofula
ill within i few wears. suppose that II l. only
lately ii.li III. disease !:as lerOtne 20 prevalent.
This i, 4 mistake. Scr,fnioaS atferiI'nS were rs
roIninoh tiff wears :rg'. a. they are M the pres
mt day The term "Srrofuli~ was formerly con
inr-l to an enlargement. with or without infiam-
NATION am. mHturniion Of the glands about the
throat. The - nm"i people called IT -kin-'s Etir
r,-ausc il was supposed that the Ionch "fa kin9
you i rurc il. But Ii has been Of late discovered.
X i'll this. not inihc greater prevalence oi the dts
.t,c. the c.hnye coI,isi>.) that the sam. disease
,:c<cniS itself in Il mu.iitn!: of forms that il
nav appear in every part Of the lody. in ever,
-hapc, AMI in every degree of violence; IN the
iorm of diseases of the joints. Offhc lun=>. Of the
YES and ears tumorS. sores AMI cruprions OF
-r1.,- Etnl- .d...fi.,u~ Cf ti,r Threat .ir.arsy nt
H.. brain. 49,. .tr.: and that where it exists in
he system. it ,npiiii-' :hr chir,rtcr Of every 9th
r ,li-eI>. anil should modify H. treatment.
What j. <cr.,;ila To This question, wiiirh cv-
nv inquirirr. mini viii ak. it i Impossible I"
i've Il ;crfc.f!v safi>tarfn-y ;u<w'r. The >u' jcci
ra> hcrm most exicn-ir'lv aud carefully invc>ti-
;l;el. anl Investigations III regard To- IL are siii
% M "i ia every lrirf 81 the medical world but
Ir qu->:i"n. wirat j. the essential nature "frhr
lease +, is, is Vet, and p%ry'rrliv will remain. nm
-.-w-rc,l. Ti,i-. however, is no Impeachment %
medical science. pn= Knowledge on that SulIcc'
nav be compared To the knowledge which phi
'~-"pli"r> have "f light. They understand it,
Iu-c>. liz effects. lis chan.-S-.vc1 its con,ii;i-
MS. IL laws. I;ui ~hUf Is light g! This point i.
rTl >IIron i,ri in darkness. So of Scrofala. W,
.nOw what comrades it. lis effects on the health.
-. can describe IL anatomical characteristics, it,
n"lii ions. and lis laws. BAT il fanny one wants
~ hi'FNF OlhTNif tEtl ~ ttCNf IA bil-i
i'm, " rai the disease i, he asks for knowledge
which men have nor vet reached.
The most universal and important characters
ir that can ie prclirafcd Of S~cr,.fula il. that j.
lrI"-nd- "n imperfect and dcPrivetl nniFiiion and
assimilation. That PROFESS bv wllirh. in III,
Ical'!.r i--lr. nu;rimcni l. converted info or.an-
zcd an: liriu. tissues j.. imr-rfcrilr performed
MI III T~r'-'I-fS are. part 81 them 81 ara imperfect.
degraded ar d"pravcd charactcr.-,ii-cascrf. H.
II. ~. ~
I part Of the ~rr"ducts OF nutrition are altogether
Iniir TO enter INFO the composition of iitin- tiS>-
les. anl then these p%rnlarfs are dcIr'.ifrTi in the
.orm of 4 f.d-rric. which J., the anatomical clIara'-
ieriSiir of S,T,fiIlh or the dcpravaiion NAV In
- >li-hi that iho-r products become Il part of the
'irin= tissue. and thereby impress on it their own
rhararier ii weakness. mi'crfcciion, AMI liaiilify
!" disease. IL not mufrcqurntlv ~iappcns that ::
! ,cr<"n WHO has been free all his life from scr"fn.
Gus diseases. i; suddenly seized. without obvious
;,u>c. by an aiitriion strongly marked will, thai
character. In this rase ii Is probable that tin
| products of nutrition were all The while infected
1 with the >rr,';uloIs character, hut not IN n Sutii-
| lent dC"r'-c ir InrVrrt fItT leromin.. Though III
IN imperfect niarrt'r. a<-ifrhsfrrf Gri o~-lnizc'i.
But suddenly some shock TO the powers of the
system. or some arrangement Of the health. I'M
no:irrd. perhaps. lev the patient himself. turns til"
,.oi>r,i lallan,'r. the t.--i * no longer duly a>sim-
| i'aic.l au,l f~ulrr-lcs =rc .icpn<,rd. Or IL may ie
| that t!,r system !~c-5uIcS. iai cry.b,safT5ter ~ith
the s"rurilouS matter, its overs Weld. and open
disease takes the place ofaprareni l'calrh. The
locirinc above stated. that imperfect nutrition
AMI as<iroilaii.-' Il tic physiological character oi
>~rrofnia. * nor mcr- RratieT ~ speculation.
MF1os 'opicIl examination Of inlfrrles re- 80
mass. organic. hut not organized. presenting I'M
pcrfcstfT fh, characteristics Of the constituents
of healthy Tissue. and hearing the same relation
tn that which broken or refuse crochery bears to
the perfect article.
Fah .N1fke~-Ecse'u iops in fivcr ofcx;end
inr TO this hcncvolenr and mr. q sriv',s crc.e -iisiir