THE EFFECT OF DIURETICS IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF EDEMA

Abstract

Blackall,¹an English physician, endeavored in 1813 to analyze a series of cases all presenting definite signs of dropsy. He showed that dropsy was due to several different causes. During the last nine years we have in a similar manner studied approximately 200 cases of varied types of edema. Our aim is to present the clinical observations and course of the various diseases in much the same fashion as Blackall, but in addition to give the results of certain biologic, chemical and therapeutic studies. The edema was actually controlled in some cases, whereas in others the treatment was unsuccessful. Thus, success or failure to rid the patient of edema could be, and was, subjected to critical analysis. We hope that the results reported in this paper will lead to the more general and accurate use of suitable diuretics in the treatment of edema, and possibly to the discovery of