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The name given by Rasori, about thirty years ago, to a new medical doctrine, of which he was the originator- La nuova Dottrina Medica Italiana. It is founded on the contro-stimulant property attributed to a certain number of medicines. In this doctrine, as in that of Brown, under the name excitability,a fundamental principle of physiology is admitted, by virtue of which living beings are endowed with an aptitude for feeling the action of external agents or exciting influences, and of reacting on these influences. When this excitability is too great, there is excess of stimulus or Hypersthenia :when is excess of stimulus or Hypersthenia: when too little there is deficiency or Hyposthenia. Diseases, general and local, are divided into three great classes, or into, 1. Hypersthenic; 2. Hyposthenic; 3. Irritative. The contro-stimulant physicians admit only two classes of medicines- stimulants and contro-stimulants.