Читать книгу Old Age Deferred. The causes of old age and its postponement by hygienic and therapeutic measures онлайн

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There are also different drugs, which may in many cases prove useful: thus, a French preparation, prepared from the viscus kinds called guipsin, then diuretin prepared by different concerns. Very valuable are the nitrate preparations, especially in cases with coronary sclerosis, also vasotonin, etc. But from my own experiences I give in many cases the preference to preparations of iodine. But I have found that iodine should not be given in too small doses and that they must also be taken for a certain length of time. Besides iodine I have found, as most efficacious in cases with very high blood-pressure, the application of electric currents after the system of D’Arsonval (arsonvalization). In each case of several patients I have seen the dropping of the blood-pressure to the normal. As soon as we find a high blood-pressure in a patient we must do our best to diminish it, for if we allow it to become persistent the high blood-pressure will produce a loss of the elasticity of the walls of the blood-vessels, there will arise pathological alterations and arteriosclerosis may easily establish itself. Aided by persistent, very high blood-pressure the degeneration of the walls of the blood-vessels may in the long run go so far that a destruction of their tissues can arise. Then by any sudden great elevation of the blood-pressure it may come to a rupture of the vessel, to apoplexy. If such a thing happens to a blood-vessel of the brain, then such vital parts of the brain may be destroyed that sudden death will follow. But in many cases, happily, other less important parts are affected, without involving death, and then follows lameness of those regions of the body which are provided with nerves coming or going to these parts. Sclerosis and degeneration of arteries happen most frequently in parts of the body where the circulation is the most copious by hyperfunction of these parts; thus in the legs of country people walking and climbing much (Romberg).