Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 13, MAT-MIC

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MEDICINE.
Intumcf^ accumulation of fet about tlie kidneys and mefentery,
fwell the abdomen, and obftruct the motions of the
diaphragm ; whence one reafon of the difficulty of
breathing which is peculiar to corpulent people ; while
the heart, and the large veffels connefted with it, are
in like manner fo encumbered, that neither the fyftal-
tie nor fubfultory motion can be performed with fuf-
ficient freedom, whence weaknefs and llownefs of the
pulfe : but when the whole habit is in a manner
Overwhelmed with an oily fluid, the enlargement of the
cellular interftices will neceffarily interrupt the general
diflribution and circulation throughout the nervous and
'{’■afcular fy Items ; impeding the action of the mufcular
fibres, and producing inlenfibility, fomnolency, and
death.
Thefe cafes are the more deplorable, as there is but
little profpe£t of a cure. For the animal oil is of too
grofs a nature to be ealily taken up by abforption ;
and wre know, that when fluids are accumulated in the
cellular fyitem, there are only two wrays in which they
Can be carried off or efcape $ namely, by the abfor-
bents, which take their rife from the cellular inter¬
ftices, and through the pores of the fkin by tranfuda-
tion.
Another misfortune is, that the difeafe fteals on fo
imperceptibly, that it becomes inveterate before people
begin to think of purfuing the proper means of relief.
In this difeafe the cure muff turn upon two points *.
Firft, on preventing the farther depofition of fat, by
avoiding the introduction of fuperfluous aliment, par¬
ticularly of fatty matters, into the fyftem ; and, fe-
eondly, on promoting and forwarding the abforption of
fat. On thefe grounds, befldes what may be done by
proper regimen, a variety of articles have been recom¬
mended in the way of medicine.
Soap has been propofed as a remedy to melt down
and facilitate the abforption of the fat in corpulent
people \ and Dr Fleming fome years ago publiffied a
little treatife, wherein he recommends this medicine,
and relates the cafe of a gentleman who is faid to have
received confiderable benefit from it. But perhaps the
foap leys rvould be more powerful, and might be more
ealily taken fheathed, in the manner directed when ufed
as a diffolvent of the ftone.
Lieutaud advifes to take ace 'urn fcilliticum in fmall
doles, with frequent purging and brilk exercife. But
it will feldom happen that the patients will be found
iufficiently Heady to perfift in any of thefe courfes, it
being the nature of the diforder to render them irrefo-
^ lute and inattentive to their condition. Therefore the
principal ufe of rules mull be with a view to preven¬
tion ; and perfons who are difpoled to corpulency ffiould
take care in time to prevent it from becoming an ab-
folute difeafe, by ufing a great deal of exercife, not
indulging in fleep, and abridging their meals, efpecially
that of fupper. Salted meats are lefs fattening than
fuch as are freffi ; and drinking frCely of coffee is re¬
commended to corpulent people.
But Dr Fothergill obferves, that a ftrieft adherence
to vegetable diet reduces exuberent fat more certainly
than any other means that he knows ; and gives twro
cafes in which this regimen fucceeded remarkably well.
The famous Dr Cheyne brought himfelf down in this
way, from a moft unwieldy bulk to a reafonable de¬
gree of weight $ as he himfelf informs us. It deferres,
Eradice,
however, to be remarked, that every pra&ice for the Pneuma.
removal or prevention of fatnefs mult be ufed with great tofe.
caution and prudence : for not a few, anxious to pre- l”T—<
vent this affe&ion, have had recourfe to a regimen and
to medicine which have proved fatal. This has parti¬
cularly arifen from the exceffive ufe of acids, probably
operating by entirely deffroying the aftion of the chy-
lopoietic vifeera.
Genus LXXII. PNEUMATOSIS.
Emphysema, or Windy Swelling.
Pneumatofis, Sauv. gen. 280. Vog. 391. Sag. 107.
Ehiphyfema, Sauv. gen. 13. Lin. 288. Vog. 392.
Leucophlegmatia, Lin. 214.
The emphyfema fometimes conies on fpontaneoufiy j
but more frequently is occafioned by wounds of the
lungs, which, giving vent to the air, that fluid infinu-
ates itfelf into the cellular texture, and often blows it
up to a furprifing degree. It muff be obferved, however,
that it is only in cafes of laceration of the lungs where
this difeafe can take place ; for in a Ample wound, the
effufion of blood always prevents the air from getting
out. The cure is to be accompliflied by fcarifications
and compreffes ; but in fome cafes only by the para-
centefis of the thorax. When air introduced from the
lungs is collected in a confiderable quantity in the
cavity of the thorax, the operation of the pavacentefis
is perhaps the only means of cure. Upon an opening
being thus made, the air fometimes rulhes out with in¬
credible violence ; and the patient receives at leall im¬
mediate relief from circumftances the moft diltreffing
imaginable. In fome inftances it is followed even by
a complete cure.
Genus LXXIII. TYMPANITES.
Tympany.
Tympanites, Sauv. gen. 291. Lin. 219. Vog. 316,
Sag. I j 8. Boerh. 226. Junck. 87.
Affe&io tympanitiea, Hcffm. III. 339.
Meteorifmus, Suuv. gen 292.
This is an inflation of the abdomen, and is of two
kinds : 1. That in which the flatus is contained in the
inteftines, in which the patient has frequent explo-
fions of wind, with a fwelling of the belly commonly
unequal. 2. When the flatus is contained in the cavity
of the abdomen ; in which cafe the fwelling is more
equal, and the belly founds when ftruck, without any
confiderable ennffion of flatus. Of thefe two, however,
the former difeafe is by much the moft common j in-
fomuch, that many, even extenfively engaged in prac¬
tice, have never met with an inftance of true abdomi¬
nal tympanites. In both cafes the reft of the body-
falls away.
Caufes, &c. The tympany fometimes takes place in
thofe who have been long troubled with flatulencies in
the ftomach and inteftines. It happens frequently to
women after abortion j to both fixes after the iuppref-
fion of the haemorrhoids ; and fometimes from tedious
febrile diforders injudicioufly treated.
Prognojis. This difeafe is generally very oMlinate,
and for the moft part proves fatal by degenerating in¬
to
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