The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1864-01-21
Diseases of the Liver.
By DR.. PRICE,

lions OF tie Liver, Kidneys and Lungs, are
incredible; and by far the greatest majority of
them scarcely have asuspicion that such diff.
Guilty exists in the slightest degree. Although
they seldom feel WELL they 10th to believe that
anything serious may arise from il. Diseases of
the liver produce great variety of symptoms,
and those symptoms all considered as sepa-
rate and distinct diseases and treated as such by
doctors, because ignorant Nosologists have dene
so before them. This treating symptoms of
disease is productive of great evil, as the pain or
distress is by these means transferred from one
place TO another for some length of time, thus
deceiving the patient and really inducing him to
believe that he is better, whilst the really diseased
organs which is the cause of all these local diff
culties, remains undisturbed until it becomes a
mass of irremovable obstruction. The situation
and office of the Liver render it more exposed to
the action of diseases, and more liable to become
so than any other organ of the human body The
symptoms characterizing diseased liver are nm.
merous. A sensation of fulness across the chest,
in consequence of viscid blood accomplishing in
the liver, causing it to enlarge swell, which
would press upon the Diaphragm, thus lessening
the capacity of the chest that the lungs would
not have room to expand, and difficulty of breath
ing, or shortness of breath would follow, giving
rise to phthisic or asthma, and after the upper
surface of the liver becomes deceased extends its
influence to the lungs, producing consumption,
which doubtless is of the most frequent causes
in this climate for producing this disease. When
the blood is retained too long in the liver it be-
comes acrid and creates inflammation, and ulcera-
ton of the liver in time would take place. The
yiscid state of the blood often produces a thick
and viscd state of the bile giving rise to the FORM
alton of hillary calculi, gall stones, gravel, &c,
producing great Distress as they pass through the
bile duct. This acrid bile will produce fever in
famation, dysentery, and when conveyed into the
small intestines, will irritate and infame them,
and the patient will feel fainting, an ndescri
bable weakness just below the pit of the stomach,
attended with fatulence, audacity, and often
burning sensation, vomiting splitting up the blood,
or spasm which by medical men is usually termed
Dyspepsia; food would distress them so much as
to cause them to live on very spare diet the d.
gestive organs would be so much deranged that
both digestion and assimilation would be imper-
fectly. performed, and much emaciation of the
could eat anything; nothing hurts them;" and
although they eat much, it is not attended with an
increase of flesh they still remain poor, showing
that the digestive and assimilating organs have
become so impaired as to render them incapable
of performing their Office. The bile, when thin
and acrid, is capable of being absorbed into the
whole system, giving rise to yellowness, yellow
| dort and nj
body of many individuals. The acrid bile being
absorbed into the blood, renders it likewise acrid,
and diseases it and hence eruptions, humOrs and
even ulcers make their appearance. Piles are
produced from an acrid condition of the bile. In
consequence of the absorption of the bile into the
blood, the viscidity of the blood is increased-the
blood which was thick before is thus rendered
thicker still. The Office OF the heart is to propel
the blood through the system when therefore the
blood becomes thick the labor of the heart is in
creased-which weakens its powers-renders it
incapable of throwing the blood to the extremeties
hence deficient circulation, cold hands, feet,
chillness, aud p.lpaions and pains over the region
of the heart, and which in many instances, if al
lowed to continue disease of the heart itself will
be the result. Rheumatism, palsy or paralysis,
pumbness of the limbs, aches and pains OF one
description or another, are frequently complained
Of from whence do they arise but from this Wis.,
cid state of the blood and debility of the heart
Nervousness, debility, &C., arc all produced by the
deficient support which the nerves receive from
the blood. Even arrangements of the human in
tellect are produced in this way. Pain, dizziness
OF the head, ringing of the ears, fullness of the
head, great heat in the top of the head, sometimes
GOODNESS and other dstresses of the head are often
experienced. Why is it so? Tie blood being
thick and viscid, its motion through the veins are
slow, the heart throws the blood through the arte-
ries to the head faster than returns by the veins
back again to the heart, hence accumulations of
blood take place in the head, press upon the brain
and produce all the difficulties above named; even
falling fits and opoplexy are produced in this way
When the upper surface of the Liver becomes
diseased, it frequently extends its influence to the
kidneys, and pains are experienced across the
small of the back producing much distress by dis
easing neighboring organs. 1t is under such cir
cumsances that dropsies, diabetes, diseases of the
urinary organs, bladder, &C.. difficulty, pain, and
often smartipg sensation in the passage of urine,
which is milky or high colored, with cloudy or
brick-like sediment, The patient will frequently
feel disposition to pass urine, but the quantity
WILDE small, sometimes merely pass by drops, at
other times it will pass in large quantities at
Females particularly subject to these affections
with much distress and weakness-four allus,
or whites, falling of the womb, and bearing down
pains. Some medical men have called this stage
of the disease "spinal complaint" How they
could have determined, yet with such erroneous
conclusions have many persons been tortured by
bsters setons issues, &C., along the spine of the
back until it produces great disability and even
curvatures of the SPINE, 3
Often an affection of the Liver extends its in
fuence to the spleen, causing an enlargement of
that organ-impaired condition of the bowels,
either obstinate costiveness, or lasting and ex-
hausting diarrhea, as witnessed in those soldiers
or persons subject to southern climate-pain in
the shoulder, between the shoulders. under the
shoulder blade, in the breast, &c. The patient,
often irritable. fretful, drowsy or sleepy eyes be-
come naamed, sight impaired. Illustrations of
diseases of the liver might be far more extended.
1t is doubtful whether any disease of q chronic
character exists in which the liver does not per
form prominent part, orls not more or less con-