d in my own
mind--an impression which, being unable to rid myself of, I have
allowed to fructify. Nor has regret followed this tenacity of purpose,
since, by the _combination_ of the three principles previously
enunciated, I have been able to devise a procedure which, in my hands,
has yielded flattering results in the treatment of a wide range of
nervous affections, and notably so in melancholia, chorea, insomnia,
neurasthenia, and painful conditions of various kinds.

RECAPITULATION OF ARGUMENT.--The method in question consists, then, in
the combination of the three facts already elucidated. To
recapitulate, they are:

1. That the effects of remedies upon the cerebro-spinal axis may be
enhanced by the sequestration of the blood contained in one or more
extremities, previous to the administration of the medicament. This is
only another way of saying that the quantity of a remedy required to
produce a given physiological effect may be reduced by any expedient
which suspends, or sequestrates, the blood in one or more extremities.
As has been previously said, however, care should be exercised to
avoid dangerous exsanguination of the trunk, and consequently of the
respiratory and cardiac centers contained in the medulla. This may be
done by compressing the central portion of both artery and vein; but I
shall presently indicate a better way of accomplishing the same thing.

2. The duration of the effect of a remedy upon the cerebro-spinal axis
is in the inverse ratio of its volatility. For this reason the
anaesthetic effects of ether disappear shortly after removal of the
inhaler, whereas solutions of antipyrin, phenacetin, morphine, and
other salts possessing an affinity for nervous tissue exert much more
permanent effects upon the cerebro-spinal system.

It is evident, therefore, that the administration of remedies designed
to exert an influence upon the central nervous system in the form of
gases must be far inferior to the exhibition of potent solutions
hypodermically or by the mouth.

3. The pharmaco-dynamic potency of stimulants, sedatives, analgesics,
and probably of all remedies possessing a chemical affinity for
nervous matter, is enhanced by exhibiting them (the remedies) in
solution, or at least in _soluble form while the subject remains in a
condensed atmosphere_.

And, as a corollary to this, it may be stated that this increase--this
enhancement of therapeutic effect--is, within physiological limits, in