When a part, as a coe, a whole foot, leg,
or arm dies, while the rest of the body lives,
it is said to -mortify, slough, or suffer gan-
grene. Once in a while the feet of an old
person may undergo slow and dry gangrene.
When an artery, as that of an arm, is
plugged up by a clot, the arm is apt to
mortify in consequence. Frozen feet or toes
often die and slough off. Sometimes, es-
pecially in ill-ventilated hospitals, stumps
of amputated limbs, and wounds of various
kinds, slough instead of healing (hospital
gangrene). Quite rarely, sore mouth in
children may become gangrenous ; and even
a lung, or a portion of it, may become the
seat of gangrene. In the last case, the
patient is almost sure to die.
Mortification of a part is always more or
less dangerous to the life of the whole body
in two ways. First, the sloughing process
may extend gradually from the part affected
towards the centre of the body; and thus,
involving vital parts, it may become fatal.
Or dead matter from the gangrenous portion
may be absorbed by the vessels, and so poison
THE FAMILY DOCTOR
the blood {septicoeniia) in a manner seldom
recovered from.
When mortification is confined to a small
part of the body, as a frozen toe or finger,
the rest of the system being in a healthy
state, a line of demarcation naturally forms,
separating the dead from the living tissues.
In some cases, a surgeon will then consider
it best to hasten and complete the process ;
removing the sloughing part, by an oper-
ation. In other instances, the dead parts
will drop off, leaving a surface which will
gradually heal.
florbid Growths.
Warts ^ corns ^ bunions ^ weiis, moles ^ bony
ejilargements^ fibrous and fatty tumors, are
all unsightly, and the last named may be
considerably inconvenient. But they do not
of themselves tend to undergo such increase
or morbid changes as to be dangerous to
life. They may therefore, by comparison,
be called innocent growths.
MAI.IGNANT tumors are generally in-
cluded under the name cancer. They tend
to grow indefinitely, at the expense of the
neighboring parts and of the general system.
They often change their character, becoming
open, discharging, offensive sores ; the seat,
moreover, generally of severe pain. At last,
the whole body of a cancerous patient be-
comes unhealthy ; and the end, after vari
ous periods, is death.
Cancers may be either schirriis, colloid,
or encephaloid. Schirrus is hard cayicer. Col-
loid is jelly-like. Encephaloid is -soft, al-
most like brain substance.
The parts of the body most liable to be
attacked by cancer (especially after middle
life) are the womb, the female breast, the
stomach, and the lower bowel {^rectuni) ; but
various other organs are sometimes invaded
by it. Schirrus is most apt to be met in the
breast, stomach or bowel ; colloid, in the
stomach, bowel, or covering of the bowels
(jnesentery , peritoneum). Encephaloid may
occur in any organ ; it is the only kind ever
seen in the eye, liver, kidney, lung, etc.
GENERAL DISORDERS
We may name these as debility, ancemia,
plethora, cochexio, neuratoxia, toxcemia, and
fever.
Debility.
Page 129
Presented as published in 1901. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
When a part, as a toe, a whole foot, leg, or arm dies, while the rest of the body lives, it is said to -mortify, slough, or suffer gangrene. Once in a while the feet of an old person may undergo slow and dry gangrene. When an artery, as that of an arm, is plugged up by a clot, the arm is apt to mortify in consequence. Frozen feet or toes often die and slough off. Sometimes, especially in ill-ventilated hospitals, stumps of amputated limbs, and wounds of various kinds, slough instead of healing (hospital gangrene). Quite rarely, sore mouth in children may become gangrenous ; and even a lung, or a portion of it, may become the seat of gangrene. In the last case, the patient is almost sure to die.
Mortification of a part is always more or less dangerous to the life of the whole body in two ways. First, the sloughing process may extend gradually from the part affected towards the centre of the body; and thus, involving vital parts, it may become fatal. Or dead matter from the gangrenous portion may be absorbed by the vessels, and so poison
the blood (septicaemia) in a manner seldom recovered from.
When mortification is confined to a small part of the body, as a frozen toe or finger, the rest of the system being in a healthy state, a line of demarcation naturally forms, separating the dead from the living tissues. In some cases, a surgeon will then consider it best to hasten and complete the process ; removing the sloughing part, by an operation. In other instances, the dead parts will drop off, leaving a surface which will gradually heal.
Morbid Growths.
Warts, corns, bunions, wens, moles, bony enlargements, fibrous and fatty tumors, are all unsightly, and the last named may be considerably inconvenient. But they do not of themselves tend to undergo such increase or morbid changes as to be dangerous to life. They may therefore, by comparison, be called innocent growths.
MAI.IGNANT tumors are generally in-
cluded under the name cancer. They tend to grow indefinitely, at the expense of the neighboring parts and of the general system. They often change their character, becoming open, discharging, offensive sores ; the seat, moreover, generally of severe pain. At last, the whole body of a cancerous patient becomes unhealthy ; and the end, after vari ous periods, is death.
Cancers may be either scirrhus, colloid, or encephaloid. Scirrhus is hard cancer. Colloid is jelly-like. Encephaloid is -soft, almost like brain substance.
The parts of the body most liable to be attacked by cancer (especially after middle life) are the womb, the female breast, the stomach, and the lower bowel (rectum) ; but various other organs are sometimes invaded by it. Schirrus is most apt to be met in the breast, stomach or bowel ; colloid, in the stomach, bowel, or covering of the bowels (mesentery, peritoneum). Encephaloid may occur in any organ ; it is the only kind ever seen in the eye, liver, kidney, lung, etc.
GENERAL DISORDERS
We may name these as debility, anaemia, plethora, cachexia, neurasthenia, toxaemia, and fever.
Debility.