Page:The Harveian oration 1905.djvu/87

 in this connection is in our knowledge of the effects which organic diseases of the kidneys and those of the heart and vessels produce upon each other, and most valuable work in this direction is associated with the names of Bright, Sibson, Dickinson, and other distinguished Fellows of this College. In relation to functional disorders of the heart the alimentary canal is a conspicuous factor, and, under certain circumstances, gastric disorders more especially may prove very grave from this point of view. What exact effects the several so-called "internal secretions" have upon the heart and vessels is not definitely settled, but the investigations carried on during recent years have shown that in some cases, at any rate, they are quite definite, and of much interest and importance, and further developments may be confidently anticipated in this direction.

6. The mere mention of the blood calls up an extensive field of pathology which is essentially the outcome of modern discovery, and which could never have been revealed were it not for the help of special methods of investigation and observation, which have now reached such a remarkable degree of perfection and accuracy. Indeed, it may be affirmed that the progressive development of our knowledge concerning the physiology and pathology of the blood, is one of the most striking and conspicuous examples of the advances made in relation to the circulatory system during recent