On some disorders of nutrition related with affections of the nervous system (neurotic dystrophies) / by William M. Ord.

  • Ord, William M. (William Miller), 1834-1902.
Date:
1885
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On some disorders of nutrition related with affections of the nervous system (neurotic dystrophies) / by William M. Ord. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by UCL Library Services. The original may be consulted at UCL (University College London)

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    to the muscles, giving rise in the one set of cases to contracture, where exaltation of function must be supposed, in another set of cases to wasting, where depression of function must be supposed. If we accept M. Charcot's conclusions, we have in this group of cases a dystrophy of muscles, brought about by irritation commencing in joints more or less related with those muscles, propagated through centripetal nerves to the spinal cord, and reflected thence by centrifugal nerves to the muscles. M. P. Berger has related for us some cases presenting the converse of the observations of M. Charcot just related. In M. Berger's cases, fracture of the upper part of the femur near the hip-joint was followed by arthritis of the knee; not attributable in any way to extension of in- flammation through the intermediate tissues. M. Berger's observations would lead to the establishment of the possibility of a reflex influence reversing the path of the influence just quoted. In other words, we have before us observations suggesting that joints being inflamed may, by a reflex influence, give rise to dystrophies of associated muscles ; and that bones and surrounding textures being injured may give rise to dystrophies of the neighbouring joints. Such considerations carry us on to search for the middle term; to examine if there be any evidence indicating a direct morbid influence of the spinal cord on the nutrition of the component parts of limbs in common; and secondly, they may lead us to inquire whether the nutrition of joints and other parts of limbs may be affected by influences propagated from viscera; that' is to say, from parts which are not components of limbs.