Plan of Drug Classification
Plan of Drug Classification
Remedies divided primarily into those which operate upon the system, and those upon extraneous bodies accidentally contained within the system. The former division embraces the great body of remedies the latter includes only four small classes, which are retained for the sake of practical convenience; as it is desirable that the physician should have the substances belonging to them associated together in his memory.
SYSTEMIC REMEDIES
Some remedies extend their action throughout the whole living system; others, operating upon one or more of those functions, as the circulatory and nervous, which pervade the body, are apparently felt in all parts of it, though not strictly universal in their direct influence. All these may be denominated general remedies. Another large division act specially on some one part or organ, or, if they affect the general system, do so only indirectly or secondarily. These may be called local remedies; and thus we have the basis of the first subdivision.
SYSTEMIC REMEDIES
Some remedies extend their action throughout the whole living system; others, operating upon one or more of those functions, as the circulatory and nervous, which pervade the body, are apparently felt in all parts of it, though not strictly universal in their direct influence. All these may be denominated general remedies. Another large division act specially on some one part or organ, or, if they affect the general system, do so only indirectly or secondarily. These may be called local remedies; and thus we have the basis of the first subdivision.
General Remedies
The general remedies are necessarily, as before stated, either stimulant, sedative, or alterative; that is, either elevate, depress, or alter the systemic actions. These three sets constitute the second subdivision.
General Stimulants
If the operation of stimulant substances be closely observed it will be noticed that, while some are slow, moderate, and lasting others are, on the contrary, quick, energetic, and proportionably brief in their action; though the two sets run together by almosy insensible gradations. This difference of operation was made by Dr. Murray, of Edinburgh, the basis of a division of the general stimulants into two distinct sets, which he named respectively permanent and diffusible stimulants. Though these terms are neither of them very accurately expressive of the distinctive characters of the two divisions, yet it may not be easy to find better, and it is advisable not to adopt new names unless upon some real ground of preference. I have, therefore, admitted this division with the nomenclature.