A Treatise of the Materia Medica and Therapeutics (Volume 2) - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1830. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XIV. II. Medicines that increase the action of the Urinary Organs. DIURETICS. Diuretics are such remedies as promote the discharge of urine. Some articles of this class appear to be absorbed into the circulation, and act directly upon the secretory vessels of the kidneys; others produce their effects in a more indirect manner: they act, primarily, on the stomach, and propagate a sympathetic action to the kidneys. There are others also, that act by promoting absorption, augmenting thereby the quantity of serous fluid in the blood-vessels, in consequence of which the renal emunctories are excited into increased action. That many articles of this class are absorbed into the circulation, and act directly upon the secretory vessels of the kidneys, is demonstrated by the re-appearance of these substances in the urine. I have, however, already dwelt particularly on this subject when speaking of the general modus operandi of medicines, and shall therefore not say any thing further on this point, in the present place. With regard to the latter mode of producing diuresis, that is, by exciting the action of the absorbents and inducing a repletion of serous fluid in the blood-vessels, it will be proper to be more explicit. The emunctories of the animal system, are outlets to the effete matters, or the superabundant and imperfectly animalized fluids circulating in the blood-vessels. They are "the scavengers of the animal economy," whose activity is proportionate to the mass of materials which is to hie thrown off. If the blood be deprived of its serous parts by dropsical effusion, the skin and kidneys, being less excited to active excretion, on account of the deficiency of the materials which they are destined to remove, become inactive, whilst the exhalents ...