The first step that requires to be taken is to ascertain without delay what the cause is of inflammation; having satisfied yourself, the next duty you have to perform is the removal of the exciting cause. If the irritation of a splinter were to excite inflammation in your finger (as undoubtedly it would), who would not of his own accord directly take away the extraneous body? Therefore other similar exciting causes may be often detected and removed at once, and this is doing a great deal towards the cure, and even the prevention of inflammation. However, many of the exciting causes of this affection are only of momentary application; yet, though their action is thus short, the process of inflammation must follow as a kind of salutary operation, without which the injured organisation and tone of the parts still remaining could not be rectified again. Hence, besides taking away the remote cause, whenever this can be done, it is proper to moderate by other means the increased action of the larger arteries, and lessen the velocity of the blood's motion towards the inflamed part. But how can this be accomplished unless by bleeding? The old theory was, by all means bleed, and you diminish the supply; bleed, and you check the disorder; bleed, and you lessen the action of the whole sanguiferous system, for upon this remedy your patient's life hangs. Now, however, we are no longer bound down by this obsolete theory, for by the rapid advancement of science we are enabled to contend with this malady not only with greater success, but without the unnecessary infliction of any additional pain. We can reduce the flow of blood to an inflamed part by lessening the heart's action, while at the same time we reduce the fever as well Aconite is the agent that possesses this salutary effect. Fomentations come next, and should be patiently resorted to. Opium is of great service, as it allays the pain, while the ordinary saltpetre prevents the formation of fibrine when given in the water to drink.

I shall now conclude this part of our subject by briefly alluding to blisters. My opinion is that they should never be applied to a part, or near to the region of a part that is actually inflamed, because from their irritating properties they excite inflammation. Wherever you apply a blister it acts directly as an irritant to the immediate part; the result is, you have an undue formation of fibrine, the very element that opposes the successful treatment of the disease, the element that glues the globules together, and prevents their circulation, and the increase of which is detrimental to inflammation.