A System of Operative Surgery, Founded on the Basis of Anatomy, Vol. 2 (Classic Reprint)

Book excerpt: Excerpt from A System of Operative Surgery, Founded on the Basis of Anatomy, Vol. 2 Observation. When the doctrines of the absorption Of the body, with all their series Of beautiful proofs, establish this singular fact - that no part of the body, solids or fluids, is for a moment stationary that they are undergoing incessant revolutions of decay and renovation - that while the matter is changing, the disposition and the constitutional peculiarities, and all that identifies the individual, remains the same! Then we are convinced, that a certain influence uniformly prevails, directing all the operations Of the system. III. When we see injured parts restoring them selves, or the edges Of recent wounds re-uniting, we recognise the influence of this endowment of living matter to sustain itself; and we call it a natural and healthy action. The common opinion, on the authority Of Mr. Hunter, is, that to restore a part which has been injured, requires a new mode of action on the contrary, I consider this incessant activity at all times prevailing in the body, and changing the component particles, to be a provision against the accidents to which we are exposed; a provision for restoring the frame when 'broken or injured, and this, not by the excitement Of a new action, but by the conti nuance Of that action, which at all times subsists, governing the restoration of the frame. I hold, that it does not make any difference whether the parts have been changed by the usual process Of absorption, or by the violence of the injury, in either case the action of restoration is the same. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.