Some Relations Between Pulmonary Edema and Pulmonary Inflammation (Pneumonia)

THE FREQUENT association of pulmonary edema and pneumonia in postmortem material is well known. This finding has usually been considered a mere coincidence and is often classified as a "terminal" finding. The use of the term "terminal" has in a sense been unfortunate, since it has served and sufficed as an explanation for the frequent simultaneous occurrence of these two pathological processes. Thus there has been a tendency to avoid an attempt to answer several important questions raised by the frequent concurrence of pulmonary edema and pneumonia in pathological material. These questions include the following: Is the frequent simultaneous occurrence merely a coincidence or is there a pathophysiological relationship between pulmonary edema and pulmonary inflammation? If such a relationship exists, does it only occur in the dying or does it also obtain in those who recover and, if so, under what conditions? Are there any therapeutic or prophylactic