Zoonomia Volume Ii Part 47

M. M. Opium. Joy. Consolations of friends.h.i.+p.

4. _Diarrhoea a timore._ The absorbent vessels of the intestines invert their motions by direct consent with the skin; hence many liquid stools as well as much pale urine are liable to accompany continued fear, along with coldness of the skin. The immediate cause of this is the decreased sensorial power of a.s.sociation, which intervenes between the actions of the absorbents of the cold skin, and those of the intestinal absorbents; the motions of the latter become on that account weakened and at length retrograde. The remote cause is the torpor of the vessels of the skin catenated with the pain of fear, as explained in Sect. XVI. 8. 1.

The capillaries of the skin consent more generally by direct sympathy with those of the lower intestines, and of the bladder; but by reverse sympathy more generally with those of the stomach and upper intestines. As appears in fevers, where the hot skin accompanies indigestion of the stomach; and in diarrhoeas attended with cold extremities.

The remote cause is the torpor of the skin owing to its reverse sympathy with the painful sensual motions, or ideas, of fear; which are now actuated with great energy, so as to deprive the second link of a.s.sociated motions of their due share of sensorial power. It is also probable, that the pain of fear itself may contribute to exhaust the sensorial power, even when it produces no muscular action. See Cla.s.s IV. 2. 2.

5. _Pallor et tremor a timore._ A retrograde action of the capillaries of the skin producing paleness, and a torpor of the muscular fibres of the limbs occasioning trembling, are caused by their reverse a.s.sociations with the ideas or imaginations of fear; which are now actuated with violent energy, and accompanied with great pain. The cause of these a.s.sociations are explained in Sect XVI. 8. 1.

These torpid actions of the capillaries and muscles of the limbs are not caused immediately by the painful sensation of fear; as in that case they would have been increased and not decreased actions, as occurs in anger; where the painful volition increases the actions of the capillaries, exciting a blush and heat of the skin. Whence we may gain some knowledge of what is meant by depressing and exciting pa.s.sions; the former confiding of ideas attended with pain, which pain occasions no muscular actions, like the pain of cold head-ach; the latter being attended with volitions, and consequent muscular exertions.

That is, the pain of fear, and the pain of anger, are produced by the exertion of certain ideas, or motions of certain nerves of sense; in the former case, the painful sensation of fear produces no muscular actions, yet it exhausts or employs so much sensorial power, that the whole system acts more feebly, or becomes retrograde; but some parts of it more so than others, according to their early a.s.sociations described in Sect. XVI. 8. 1.

hence the tremor of the limbs, palpitation of heart, and even syncope. In anger the painful volition produces violent muscular actions; but if previous to these any deliberation occurs, a flushed countenance sometimes, and a red skin, are produced by this superabundance of volition exerted on the arterial system; but at other times the skin becomes pale, and the legs tremble, from the exhaustion or expenditure of the sensorial power by the painful volitions of anger on the organs of sense, as by the painful sensations of fear above mentioned.

Where the pa.s.sion of fear exists in a great degree, it exhausts or expends so much sensorial power, either simply by the pain which attends it, or by the violent and perpetual excitement of the terrific imaginations or ideas, that not only a cold and pale skin, but a retrograde motion of the cutaneous absorbents occurs, and a cold sweat appears upon the whole surface of the body, which probably sometimes increases pulmonary absorption; as in Cla.s.s II. 1. 6. 4. and as in the cold sweats, which attend the paroxysms of humoral asthma. Hence anxiety, which is a continued pain of fear, so universally debilitates the const.i.tution as to occasion a lingering death; which happens much more frequently than is usually supposed; and these victims of continued anxiety are said to die of a broken heart. Other kinds of paleness are described in Cla.s.s I. 2. 2. 2.

M. M. Opium. Wine. Food. Joy.

6. _Palpitatio cordis a timore._ The palpitation of the heart from fear is owing to the weak action of it, and perhaps sometimes to the retrograde exertion of the ventricules and auricles; because it seems to be affected by its a.s.sociation with the capillaries, the actions of which, with those of the arteries and veins, const.i.tute one great circle of a.s.sociate motions. Now when the capillaries of the skin become torpid, coldness and paleness succeed; and with these are a.s.sociated the capillaries of the lungs, whence difficult respiration; and with these the weak and retrograde actions of the heart. At the same time the absorbents of the skin, and of the bladder, and of the intestines, sometimes become retrograde, and regurgitate their contents; as appears by the pale urine in large quant.i.ties, which attends hysteric complaints along with this palpitation of the heart; and from the cold sweats, and diarrhoea; all which, as well as the hysteric complaints, are liable to be induced or attended by fear.

When fear has still more violently affected the system, there have been instances where syncope, and sudden death, or a total stoppage of the circulation, have succeeded: in these last cases, the pain of fear has employed or exhausted the whole of the sensorial power, so that not only those muscular fibres generally exerted by volition cease to act, whence the patient falls down; and those, which const.i.tute the organs of sense, whence syncope; but lastly those, which perform the vital motions, become deprived of sensorial power, and death ensues. See Cla.s.s. I. 2. 1. 4. and I. 2. 1. 10. Similar to this in some epileptic fits the patient first suddenly falls down, without even endeavouring to save himself by his hands before the convulsive motions come on. In this case the great exertion of some small part in consequence of great irritation or sensation exhausts the whole sensorial power, which was lodged in the extremities of the locomotive nerves, for a short time, as in syncope; and as soon as these muscles are again supplied, convulsions supervene to relieve the painful sensation. See Cla.s.s III. 1. 1. 7.

7. _Abortio a timore._ Women miscarry much more frequently from a fright, than from bodily injury. A torpor or retrograde motion of the capillary arteries of the internal uterus is probably the immediate cause of these miscarriages, owing to the a.s.sociation of the actions of those vessels with the capillaries of the skin, which are rendered torpid or retrograde by fear. By this contraction of the uterine arteries, the fine vessels of the placenta, which are inserted into them, are detruded, or otherwise so affected, that the placenta separates at this time from the uterus, and the fetus dies from want of oxygenation. A strong young woman, in the fifth or sixth month of her pregnancy, who has since borne many children, went into her cellar to draw beer; one of the servant boys was hid behind a barrel, and started out to surprise her, believing her to be the maid-servant; she began to flood immediately, and miscarried in a few hours. See Sect. x.x.xIX.

6. 5. and Cla.s.s I. 2. 1. 14.

8. _Hysteria a timore._ Some delicate ladies are liable to fall into hysteric fits from sudden fright. The peristaltic motions of the bowels and stomach, and those of the oesophagus, make a part of the great circle of irritative motions with those of the skin, and many other membranes. Hence when the cutaneous vessels become torpid from their reverse sympathy with the painful ideas of fear; these of the bowels, and stomach, and oesophagus, become first torpid by direct sympathy with those of the skin, and then feebly and ineffectually invert the order of their motions, which const.i.tutes a paroxysm of the hysteric disease. See Cla.s.s I. 3. 1. 10.

These hysteric paroxysms are sometimes followed by convulsions, which belong to Cla.s.s III. as they are exertions to relieve pain; and sometimes by death. See Species 9 of this Genus, and Cla.s.s I. 2. 1. 4.

Indigestion from fear is to be ascribed in the same manner to the torpor of the stomach, owing to its a.s.sociation with the skin. As in Cla.s.s IV. 1. 2.

5. IV. 2. 1.

ORDO III.

_Retrograde a.s.sociate Motions._

GENUS II.

_Catenated with Sensitive Motions._

SPECIES.

1. _Nausea idealis._ Nausea from disgustful ideas, as from nauseous stories, or disgustful sights, or smells, or tastes, as well as vomiting from the same causes, consists in the retrograde actions of the lymphatics of the throat, and of the oesophagus, and stomach; which are a.s.sociated with the disgustful ideas, or sensual motions of sight, or hearing, or smell, or taste; for as these are decreased motions of the lymphatics, or of the oesophagus, or stomach, they cannot immediately be excited by the sensorial power of painful sensation, as in that case they ought to be increased motions. So much sensorial power is employed for a time on the disgustful idea, or expended in the production of inactive pain, which attends it, that the other parts of the a.s.sociated chain of action, of which this disgustful idea is now become a link, is deprived of their accustomed share; and therefore first stop, and then invert their motions.

Owing to deficiency of sensorial power, as explained more at large in Sect.

x.x.xV. 1. 3.

2. _Nausea a conceptu._ The nausea, which pregnant women are so subject to during the first part of gestation, is owing to the reverse sympathy between the uterus and stomach, so that the increased action of the former, excited by the stimulus of the growing embryon, which I believe is sometimes attended with sensation, produces decreased actions of the latter with the disagreeable sensation of sickness with indigestion and consequent acidity. When the fetus acquires so much muscular power as to move its limbs, or to turn itself, which is called quickening, this sickness of pregnancy generally ceases.

M. M. Calcined magnesia. Rhubarb. Half a grain of opium twice a day.

Rec.u.mbent posture on a sofa.

3. _Vomitio vertiginosa._ Sea-sickness, the irritative motions of vision, by which we balance ourselves, and preserve our perpendicularity, are disturbed by the indistinctness of their objects; which is either owing to the similarity of them, or to their distance, or to their apparent or unusual motions. Hence these irritative motions of vision are exerted with greater energy, and are in consequence attended with sensation; which, at first is agreeable, as when children swing on a rope; afterwards the irritative motions of the stomach, and of the absorbent vessels, which open their mouths into it, become inverted by their a.s.sociations with them by reverse sympathy.

For the action of vomiting, as well as the disagreeable sensation of sickness, are shewn to be occasioned by defect of the sensorial power; which in this case is owing to the greater expenditure of it by the sense of vision. On the same account the vomiting, which attends the pa.s.sage of a stone through the ureter, or from an inflammation of the bowels, or in the commencement of some fevers, is caused by the increased expenditure of the sensorial power by the too great action of some links of the a.s.sociations of irritative motions; and there being in consequence a deficiency of the quant.i.ty required for other links of this great catenation.

It must be observed, that the expenditure of sensorial power by the retinas of the eyes is very great; which may be estimated by the perpetual use of those organs during our waking hours, and during most of our sleeping ones; and by the large diameters of the two optic nerves, which are nearly the size of a quill, or equal to some of the princ.i.p.al nerves, which serve the limbs.

4. _Vomitio a calculo in uretere._ The action of vomiting in consequence of the increased or decreased actions of the ureter, when a stone lodges in it. The natural actions of the stomach, which consist of motions subject to intermitted irritations from the fluids, which pa.s.s through it, are a.s.sociated with those of the ureter; and become torpid, and consequently retrograde, by intervals, when the actions of the ureter becomes torpid owing to previous great stimulus from the stone it contains; as appears from the vomiting existing when the pain is least. When the motions of the ureter are thus lessened, the sensorial power of a.s.sociation, which ought to actuate the stomach along with the sensorial power of irritation, ceases to be excited into action; and in consequence the actions of the stomach become less energetic, and in consequence retrograde.

For as vomiting is a decreased action of the stomach, as explained in Sect.

x.x.xV. 1. 3. it cannot be supposed to be produced by the pain of gravel in the ureter alone, as it should then be an increased action, not a decreased one.

The perpetual vomiting in ileus is caused in like manner by the defective excitement of the sensorial power of a.s.sociation by the bowel, which is torpid during the intervals of pain; and the stomach sympathizes with it.

See Enteritis, Cla.s.s II. 1. 2. 11. Does this symptom of vomiting indicate, whether the disease be above or below the valve of the colon? Does not the softer pulse in some kinds of enteritis depend on the sympathy of the heart and arteries with the sickness of the stomach? See Ileus and Cholera.

Hence this sickness, as well as the sickness in some fevers, cannot be esteemed an effort of nature to dislodge any offensive material; but like the sea-sickness described above, and in Sect. XX. 4. is the consequence of the a.s.sociations of irritative or sensitive motions. See Cla.s.s I. 1. 3. 9.

5. _Vomitio ab insultu paralytico._ Paralytic affections generally commence with vomiting, the same frequently happens from a violent blow with a stick on the head; this curious connection of the brain and stomach has not been explained; as it resembles the sickness in consequence of vertigo at sea, it would seem to arise from a similar cause, viz. from disturbed irritative or sensitive a.s.sociations.

6. _Vomitio a t.i.tillatione faucium._ If the throat be slightly tickled with a feather, a nausea is produced, that is, an inverted action of the mouths of the lymphatics of the fauces, and by direct sympathy an inverted action of the stomach ensues. As these parts have frequently been stimulated at the same time into pleasurable action by the deglut.i.tion of our daily aliment, their actions become strongly a.s.sociated. And as all the food, we swallow, is either moist originally, or mixed with our moist saliva in the mouth; a feather, which is originally dry, and which in some measure repels the moist saliva, is disagreeable to the touch of the fauces; at the same time this nausea and vomiting cannot be caused by the disagreeable sensation simply, as then they ought to have been increased exertions, and not decreased ones, as shewn in Section x.x.xV. 1. 3. But the mouths of the lymphatics of the fauces are stimulated by the dry feather into too great action for a time, and become retrograde afterwards by the debility consequent to too great previous stimulus.

7. _Vomitio cute sympathetica._ Vomiting is successfully stopped by the application of a blister on the back in some fevers, where the extremities are cold, and the skin pale. It was stopped by Sydenham by producing a sweat on the skin by covering the head with the bed-clothes. See Cla.s.s IV.

1. 1. 3. and Suppl. I. 11. 6.

ORDO III.

_Retrograde a.s.sociate Motions._

GENUS III.

_Catenated with Voluntary Motions._

SPECIES.

1. _Ruminatio._ In the rumination of horned cattle the food is brought up from the first stomach by the retrograde motions of the stomach and oesophagus, which are catenated with the voluntary motions of the abdominal muscles.

2. _Vomitio voluntaria._ Voluntary vomiting. Some human subjects have been said to have obtained this power of voluntary action over the retrograde motions of the stomach and oesophagus, and thus to have been able to empty their stomach at pleasure. See Sect. XXV. 6. This voluntary act of emptying the stomach is possessed by some birds, as the pigeon; who has an organ for secreting milk in its stomach, as Mr. Hunter observed; and softens the food for its young by previously swallowing it; and afterwards putting its bill into theirs returns it into their mouths. See Sect. x.x.xIX. 4. 8. The pelicans use a stomach, or throat bag, for the purpose of bringing the fish, which they catch in the sea to sh.o.r.e, and then eject them, and eat them at their leisure. See Sect. XVI. 11. And I am well informed of a b.i.t.c.h, who having puppies in a stable at a distance from the house, swallowed the flesh-meat, which was given her, in large pieces, and carrying it immediately to her whelps, brought it up out of her stomach, and laid it down before them.

3. _Eructatio voluntaria._ Voluntary eructation. Some, who have weak digestions, and thence have frequently been induced to eruct the quant.i.ty of air discharged from the fermenting aliment in their stomachs, have gradually obtained a power of voluntary eructation, and have been able thus to bring up hogsheads of air from their stomachs, whenever they pleased.

This great quant.i.ty of air is to be ascribed to the increase of the fermentation of the aliment by drawing off the gas as soon as it is produced. See Sect. XXIII. 4.

ORDO III.

_Retrograde a.s.sociate Motions._