The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-05-15

lie mentions that Dr. Gregory saw case
Of palplation cured by it, and that DIR. For
dyce had known many cases cured by it,
However, | should myself be very sorry to
try ii; and should be very sceptical Of its
doing real good in any case.
PROUD FLESH.
Patients willfrcquently comet to us to know
tii thsre IS any prond flesh in their wounds
The fear Of proud flesh is very general, and
brings many patients to the doctor whom he
would otherwise never see When wound
i attended with loss Of substance, il IS grad
pally 6lledupby the growth Of thesurroupd7
ing parts-a process which Is called granu
lation, from the grain-lke surface itpresents.
The EXAMINATIONS sometimes rise above the
level Of the surface; and suppose the term
{ proud flesh" was given to this appearance
as iguratiye term for a mxprlant or Tor
ward growth There is nothing really bad
Or NAL gnant, as il is called, in the elevation,
but it is rather indicative Of complete and
rapid repair There are, il Is true, com
plants which are attended with what are
named malignant f,ngous growths; but they
are happily very rare, and quite anconnected
with the healing Of common sores shall
not dwell, however, upon the latter, as II
would carry me on to the description Of q
disease which is out of my present province,
and wonll only be tedious or uninteliglbe
to nnproiessional persons. II is perhaps, al
ter oil, almost a pity to disabuse the public
mind Of the idea Of proud flesh for Il e
friendly to the doctors, any may tend to IN
1uce the people to have their sores better
looked alter
BROKE A BLcoD-yEssEL.
The phrase "broke blood-vessel" is very
common; and imagine that il is commonl,
supposed, IN the case Of splitting Of blood
that large blood-vessel has given way il
the lungs. Blood-vessels do sometimes be
come diseased, and give way; but in III,
great number Of instances in which splitting
1 Of blood arises, the blood is exuded from thu
surface, as il is in bleeding Of the nose On
inspection after death Of the greater part o
the bodies Of those who have lost large guam
titles Of blood by splitting, no trace has beer
discovered of any ruptured vessel, SO tina
the term is not to be considered literal in il,
application 10 the ordinary cases Of splitting
of blood. In appopleXy, however, it is founc
that blood-vesse has actually given way
in the brain, and the clot is discovered ailel
death so that if we spoke Of this latter com.
plant as the breaking Of a blood-vessel, We
should be more likely to be correct.
coRNs.
4 That a corn has roots. The common idea
take it TO be, is, that corn grows from it,
roots as tree does, and therefore it is neces-
sary to extirpate tho roots before cure car
be accomplished The advertisements o
corn-cutters are often good deal amusing
| saw one the other day in Manchester pa.
per, which took different view from that
commonly adopted. The advertiser began
by stating that corns had no roots, but lie
went on (by inadvertence, suppose) to add
that there were no such things as Gems, and
concluded by list Of charges for removing
them. When a parts good deal exposed
to pressure, the cuticle becomes hardened,
ljust as it viii al the ends OF the fingers in
those who play on the violin; besides this,
the papillae OF the suhjacent true skin be-
come enlarged, and give the appearance Of
roots when section of corn is made. This
is all the mystery. So that, let rs cut as
deep as we will, il we continue to wear tight
boots and shoes, the corns will speedily re-
appear. The kind Of shoes which ladies are
in The habit cf wearing, which merely cover
the toes, and therefore make all the pressure
bear on that part, are exceedingly objection
able, especially where the shoes are pointed,
and the leather strong.
HYDRoPHoBIA
The notion that hydrophobic patients bite
those around them, and thus communicate
the disease, is popular error which ! should
think scarcely needs contradiction. How
ever, il ssems that the idea appeared worthy
Of contradiction many years ago. In the
second volume OF work which Desaut pub
lishea -" Sur Ia Pierre des Reins, ct de la
Vesaie" jim 1876, he treats of the hydro
phohia, and alludes 10 this notion with the
ridicnle il deserves
In respect to hyarophobia, there also is, or
was, an opinion that the patients suffering
from the complaint are smothered by the at
tendants should think snch an idea could
now only exist amongst the onrehecting, not
to say Ignorant; yet il appears that prac-
tice almost amounting to this was actually
recommended aud adopted By Van Helmont
!" He kept his patients under water until the
psalm sAlissererc' (the 5lst, containing
nineteen vcrses) was sung; and in one case
a poor girl was drowned."t
Drowning is only like another way Of
smothering, and this was certainly carrying
too far the old adage Of Desperate remedies
Tor desperate diseases. Whilst on the sub
jet Of hydrophobia, may mention that the
prevailing idea OF its being peculiar, or even
more frequent, in the summer season, is
called in question BY very high authority
The practice Of muzzling dogs during what
are called the dog-days" is common, |
think in most Of our towns; but il we are to
credit some nj the writer's an The subiect n