DROPSY (ante). It cannot be too clearly borne in mind that a dropsy is a transu dation and not an exudation, and is not a direct product of inflammation, as the latter is. For instance, the fluid which is poured into the cavity of the pleura in pleurisy is not a dropsy, but an exudation of plastic material from the blood, which has the prop erty of becoming organized into a kind of pseudo-tissue which forms adhesions between the lungs and the sides of the chest. In dropsy, the fluid has no power of organization, although it contains a slight portion of constituents of blood serum. Exudations have a turbid appearance when they are not colored with the red corpuscles of the blood, but the effused transuded fluid of dropsy is usually quite transparent, although some times tinged with the coloring matter of the blood. As a rule, dropsies are caused by obstructions to the return of blood by the veins, and may be general or local. In general dropsy there is an accumulation of watery fluid into the cellular tissue of a part or whole of the body, together with a transudation into one of the serous cavities. Such dropsies are apt to follow diseases of the heart (q.v.). Again, general dropsy may be owing to a morbid condition of the blood in diseases of the kidney (q.v.). It is then called renal dropsy, while that caused by disease of the heart is called cardiac dropsy. Local dropsies, when existing in the cellular tissue, are circumscribed. Thus, ana sarca confined to the limbs would be called a local dropsy, whereas when spreading ovbr the whole body it would be called general, although the cellular tissue only is invaded. For the causes of dropsy of the belly, or ascites, see more particularly LIVER, DIS EASES OF TEE. But ascites, as well as dropsy of other cavities than the peritoneum, may be the result of scarlet fever, which has for one of its sequelai inflammation of the kidneys. The pressure of a tumor may cause dropsy. Pressure upon the portal vein may be followed by ascites ; upon the ascending rena cam, or great vein which carries the blood from the trunk and lower extremities to the heart, ana sarca of the trunk and lower extremities. When the pressure is upon one of the
iliac veins, auasarca of one of the lower limbs is the consequence. The treat ment of dropsy depends upon the condition of the organs or parts of the body where morbid condition is its cause. Renal dropsy, besides general treatment, will require remedies calculated to relieve the renal disease, and a similar remark applies • to hepatic dropsy. The general treatment for all forms of dropsy includes sometimes the removal of the watery fluid from the serous cavities, and also from the cellular tissue. This is sometimes accomplished by tapping, or paracenteffis, when the liquid is drawn from a cavity; when from the abdomen, paracentesis abdonvi nis; when from the chest, P. thoracis; when from the head, P. capitis. The with drawal of the liquid from the cellular tissue is performed by making numerous small punctures. The therapeutical remedies consist of diaphoretics, diuretics, and cathar tics; and although they are often employed with more or less benefit, and sometimes assist in recovery, they frequently fail to give the hoped-for relief. Cathartics, espe cially those which belong to the class called 1ydrogogue, often reduce the amount of liquid considerably; but it generally returns, especially in incurable cases, and the patient is made weaker by the operation; and similar objections hold with regard to diuretics; they often relieve for a time, but are perhaps quite as often unsatisfactory. Both remedies in unfavorable cases may be called necessary evils. Diaphoretics may be given with more freedom, although the objection that they promote debility to a cer tain extent applies'to them also. The use of jaborandi, or its alkaloid, which has been recently introduced into practice in this country, is perhaps attended with more benefit than that of any other diaphoretic. (See JABORANDL)