GEN. III. SPEC. II. Boil. cess is imperfect. Upon Mr. Hunter's hypothesis, this must depend upon a weak action of the absorbents; but Phyma as we have already endeavoured to show that the material Furunculus. to be removed must be prepared for absorption, and How acconveyed to the mouths of the absorbent vessels before counted for absorption can take place, and have suggested that it on Hunter's hypothesis. seems to be the office of the secreted pus to accomplish this purpose, it is probable that in the furunculus the pus, from some cause or other, is not quite genuine, and Pus probais possessed of a less solvent power than in common ab- bly less solscesses: whence a part of the dead matter remains at- ordinarily. tached to the living after the hollow has burst, and is thrown off from the base by sloughing. The mode of treatment is simple, and rarely requires medical or surgical assistance: though the diathesis should be lowered by bleeding or purging, or both. vent than SPECIES III. PHYMA SYCOSIS. Ficous Tuber. TUMOUR EXCRESCENT, FLESHY; FIG-SHAPED; SPROUT- rived. THE Greeks gave the name of sycosis from ouzov "a fig", GEN. III. to various tubers and excrescences, the shape of which Specific was conceived to resemble that of a fig. By Celsus, name, however, it is limited to a particular kind of inflamma- whence detory and imperfectly suppurative tuber of the head and How used face. Vogel has understood the term nearly in the same by Celsus: sense; and Dr. Bateman has, hence, correctly described by Vogel: it as such in his list of cutaneous diseases. by Bateman. GEN. III. It is seated sometimes on the beard, and sometimes in SPEC. III. the hair of the head. In the former case it consists of small tumours, hard, roundish, pea-sized; commonly in clusters; occasionally confluent or running into one another; and spreading from ear to ear; the discharge is small in quantity and of a glutinous texture, whence the beard becomes filthily matted. Phyma Sycosis. Ficous Tuber. Where seated. General character when on the beard. General character head. The variety that appears on the head consists of softer tumours, of different sizes, and in clusters; they are seated among the hair; and throw forth from a fungous surface, when on the an ichorous, copious, and fetid discharge. It is not often that this complaint is connected with any constitutional affection: and offensive as it is, it will generally be found to yield to cleanliness, and mild astringents; of which one of the best is starch-powder alone, or combined with an equal proportion of calamine. It makes an approach to one or two of the species of porrigo, but has characters sufficiently marked to keep it distinct, and to determine the present to be its proper station. Resembles porrigo. GEN. III. SPEC. IV. Specific term, whence derived. Relation to SPECIES IV. PHYMA ANTHRAX. Carbuncle. TUMOUR COMMON TO THE SURFACE; FLAT; FIRM; BURN- ANTHRAX is a Greek term correspondent to the Latin carbunculus or carbuncle; literally a small live-coal, so denominated from the redness and fiery heat of the inflammation. The specific definition sufficiently points out its relathe furuncle. tion to the furuncle or boil, especially when the latter differs. character. assumes an unkindly or malignant character from some- GEN. III. thing peculiar in the part or in the constitution. "The SPEC. IV. Phyma inflammation that produces the carbuncle is, however, of Anthrax a different nature from any of the former: it is station- Carbuncle. ary”, observes Mr. Hunter, "with respect to place, and In what it is pretty much circumscribed, forming a broad, flat, firm tumour. It begins in the skin, almost like a pimple, and goes deeper and deeper, spreading with a broad base under the skin in the cellular membrane. It produces a General suppuration, but not an abscess; somewhat similar to the erysipelatous, when the inflammation passes into the cellular membrane; for, as there are no adhesions, the matter lies in the cells where it was formed, almost like water in an anasarca. This inflammation attacks more beyond the middle age than in it, and very few under it. It is most common in those that have lived well. I never saw but one patient of this kind in an hospital. It appears to have some affinity to the boil; but the boil differs in this respect, that it has more of the true inflammation, therefore spreads less, and is more peculiar to the young than the old, which may be the reason why it partakes more of the true inflammation.”* kind. The carbuncle occurs chiefly, perhaps uniformly, in Occurs chiefly in weakly habits, and hence, often in advanced life. But weakly it is not all debilitated persons who have inflammations, habits that exhibit this disease: and we have here, therefore, of a peculiar another striking proof of the influence of idiosyncrasy, or a peculiarity of constitution upon the general laws and progress of inflammation; or of a peculiarity of that part of the constitution in which the inflammation shows itself: and but for which, the inflammatory stages of the present disease would in all probability succeed each other in regular order, and the anthrax be reduced to the character of a common and benign abscess. Of the The peculinature of this peculiarity we are too often able to trace out little or nothing; but so long as it continues, we have On Blood, Inflammation, &c. Part 11. Chap. IV. arity unknown. GEN. III. only a small chance of bringing the inflammation to a SPEC. IV. Phyma Anthrax. Carbuncle. " P. An thrax Pruna. Escar carbuncle. The FIRST of these varieties was called pruna by Avicenna, from its assuming the colour, and often the oval figure of the sloe, or fruit of the prunus spinosa, Linn. The SECOND derives its name from its assuming the figure and blackish-green colour of the fruit or berry of the Berry-car- pine-nut, or répuvas of the Greeks, the pinus Abies, Linn. named by the Latins terebinthus; whence it has been called terminthus and terebinthus indifferently. B P. Anthrax Terminthus. buncle. General remarks. Where chiefly found. Treatment. As the carbuncle is an inflammation of great weakness set down on a peculiar predisposition, it sometimes shows itself among feeble infants in warm climates. According to Tournefort, in his Travels through the Levant, it attacks them chiefly in the back part of the throat, and proves quickly fatal. He describes it as an endemic in his day, among the islands of the Archipelago. In more advanced life, for the same general reason, we meet with it frequently in those who have debilitated their frames by an excess of good living, and are verging on the feebleness of age. We may hence also account for its appearing in an early stage of the plague, the most debilitating disease in the whole catalogue. It sometimes shows itself in great numbers almost on its onset, or m'drop as the Arabians call it, who distinguish carbuncles by the name of jimmerat. When unconnected with any other disease, a cure has been attempted by local stimulants, as cataplasms of tobacco and sal ammoniac, which has been a common piactice in Russia; or of horse-raddish*, or stone-crop Paré, Lib. xxi. cap. 32. SPEC. IV. 6 P. Anthrax Terminthus. Berry-car toads. (sedum acre*). Cantharidest, camphor ointments, and GEN. III. lotions of zinc or mercury have also been tried. To which, as in the case of cancer, has been sometimes added the sucking of toads: as though it were possible to draw out the lurking virus with the swallowed humours. More burle. generally, however, it has been attempted to be destroyed Sucking of or extirpated. Arsenic was recommended for this pur- Arsenic. pose as early as the age of Agricola; and has been employed in various forms, from that of orpiment to that of Plunket's caustic: above all which, however, Le Caustics. Dran preferred corrosive sublimate. Riverius used other caustics, and Pouteau the actual cautery; which has, indeed, been very successfully and skilfully adopted of late in a variety of similar affections by M. Maunoir. But Cordials radical success must, after all, entirely depend upon supporting and giving strength to the system by cordials and tonics; for if this cannot be accomplished, it is perfectly clear that the predisposition will be neither subdued nor subside spontaneously: that the ulcerations will not heal, and the system must gradually sink under their constant discharge and irritation. and tonics. of cattle. The carbuncle of cattle is frequently owing to the Carbuncle poisonous sting of various insects; and hence a similar cause has, by some practitioners, been supposed to exist in mankind. Pallas suspects the furia infernalis; while others have mentioned the sirex gigas or large-tailed wasp. It is probable that these may have been occasional causes, where there has been a predisposition to the disease in the constitution. • Buchoz und Marquet neueste Heilkunde, Nüremb. 1777. † Riverius, Observ. Med. lent. IV. How far with the connected human, in origin. |