Emaciation

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Emaciation , formerly also called consumption (translation from Greek-Latin phthisis , from Greek phthíein , 'to disappear', 'to shrink') is a historical medical expression for a life-threatening emaciation. Completely different reasons were considered to be the cause, including "wasting" (consumptive) diseases (especially tuberculosis and cancer ). The term is now considered out of date. Other, partly also outdated names are Abzehrung , Darre , Phthisis , Tabes or Consumptio . The symptoms today are mostly described by atrophy , cachexia or marasmus .

However, the use of the term was not uniform. 1805 defined Friedrich Wilhelm von Hoven , the emaciation as a form of emaciation, "in which no, at least no apparent violation of the organization present is" that so do not appear due to illness. In contrast to emaciation, he described the emaciation caused by illness as consumption or phthisis.

Individual parts of the body, such as the eye , could also become “wasted” (meaning a reduction in the size of the eyeball ) if - according to the medical doctrine of past centuries - it was not adequately nourished by “nutritional juices” or other causes "Reduction of moisture in the eyes" led, for example, to a perforation of the vitreous humor , a viscosity of the tear fluid deviating from the norm and wounds or ulcers on the cornea . This "emaciation" of the eye was described as follows: "In this case the eye collapses, the iris and cornea sometimes fold and the patients hardly see the objects".

Up into the 19th century, emaciation referred to symptoms with a wide variety of causes. Above all, hunger, lack of light, air, hygiene, good clothing, warmth, etc. It was so widespread that Meyer's Konversationslexikon wrote in 1888 that these causes "claim more victims than war and disease themselves."

The decrease in body substance either affects all organs and tissues of the body equally or it is limited to individual parts. An initially local emaciation can later affect the whole body. Usually one understands by emaciation the loss and the smelling of the whole organism, as it occurs in the natural development in old age ( senium ) or can be caused in earlier periods of life by severe nutritional disorders. Most noticeable is the loss of fat tissue , which causes the body shape to lose its roundness, the skin loses its firmness and smoothness and the face becomes wrinkled. In the early stages, the pallor of the skin and mucous membranes is noticeable even to laypeople. Only later do digestive problems, often general mood, indolence, night sweats, dropsy appear , which can decrease with constant decrease of strength in slow decline and finally to complete cessation of all performance.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Friedrich Kluge , Alfred Götze : Etymological dictionary of the German language . 20th edition. ed. by Walther Mitzka . de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1967; Reprint (“21st unchanged edition”) ibid 1975, ISBN 3-11-005709-3 , p. 694 ( Schwinden , Schwindsucht ).
  2. ^ Franz Dornseiff : The Greek words in German. Berlin 1950, p. 58.
  3. ↑ JV Müller: Medical practical handbook of female diseases. Volume 2, 1790, pp. 85,186, books.google.de
  4. ^ Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland : Library of practical medicine. Volume 14, in the academischen Buchhandlung, 1805, p. 206 ff., Books.google.de
  5. ^ Medicinisch-surgical newspaper. Verlag Rauch, November 12, 1792, pp. 209 ff., Books.google.de
  6. ↑ a b c Emaciation . In: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon . 4th edition. Volume 2, Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1885–1892, p. 167.
  7. ^ FW von Hoven: Handbook of practical medicine. Volume 2, Verlag Johann Daniel Claß, 1805, p. 181, books.google.de
  8. ↑ A. Portal: The concept of teaching practical Wundarzney art: From the French: With comments. Volume 2, Verlag Fritsch, 1793, pp. 116, 128, books.google.de