OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Pneumonia by Dr. William Lindsey *************************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Helen Silvey Helen_Silvey@macnexus.org http://jpaul.gwdi.com/silvey/ July 13, 1999 *************************************************************************** Pneumonia affords one of the most complete examples of the 3 essential Pathological conditions of inflamation, namely: central stasis, concentric hypermia & Exudation. The exudation does not tend to the formation of new tissue, as in pleuritis: it is not exfoliated (?) & expectorated as is the case in exudation of lymph or other mucus surfaced, but is removed. principally by absorption, & that sometimes with great rapidity. The material of exudation undoubtedly comes from the blood circulating in the capillaries of the pulmonary arteries. The exudation is thrown out upon a free surface, & when removed by absorption, the tissues of the Minute Structures of the lung are left intact & uninjured. The fact that volatile oils, ether, chloroform & alcohol are eliminated, proves that there is something more than a simple respiratory act. The mechanism of the secretion is precisely that of other glands, selecting certain substances carried by the blood, & permitting others to pass on. The special products excreted are azote, carbonic acid, watery vapor & organic matter. The amoung of azote excreted is very small, that of carbonic acid & watery vapor has so far escaped estimation. It is, however, readily appreciated by the disagreeable odor of crowded halls & such means of transmitting disease. Certain substances also accidentally present in the blood are eliminated by the lungs, showing that these organs exercise an elective action similar to that of other glands. As the kidneys on nitrate of patassaium & iodide of potassium - the liver on salts of lead & phosphorous &, the salivary glands on the marcutials (sic). So the lungs eliminate certain voltile (sic) substances, as ether, camphor, musk chloroform & alcohol. Respiration & secretion functionally are alternate - 2 centuriess ago the structure of was by some compoared to abumore glands. The lungs are the great oxyginators of whole animal economy. The heat of the body is undoubtedly the result or product of molecular motion. Dr. A. G. Seldon of Shanyville O. in his paper read before the State Med. Society June 14,-16, 1870 at Cleveland remarks, in reference to Pneumonia & the office of Respiration, animal heat & Oxydation thru the lungs &c. Those who have been interested in tracing the experiments of Dr. Benzo Jones to determine the source of heat, must have been strongly impressed with the truth of the proposition. Then goes on to say - How much molelcular motion may be caused by the oxydation of these products of destructive metamorphosis, & how far this process may be the source of animal heat is not then design of this paper to determine. To the mind of the writer this proposition commands itself to the mind of he writer as in the main correct. In connecton with this - goes on to say "that most of the waste material, or the products of destruction metamorphosis of tissues, will not be taken upon (?) by the elimnation organs of the animal economy. Until oxygen, this very important operation, so essential to life cannot but be temporally suspended, or interrupted. The term pneumonia, or pneumonitis, or pulmonitis, the former of Greek & the latter of latin derivation, is given to an inflamation of the parenchymatous (sic) structure of the lungs, as in the experience of the writer, the most dangerous inflamation in our northern temperate climate, in most locations winter & spring of the year, - Practical knowledge of anscultation (sic) important - in connection with precision in diagnosis. Helen, Sacramento