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Show 188 Fluctuation of opinion and practice infever. If the symptoms above-mentioned be not mi~ tigated by blood-letting, the jugular vein should be opened at the period of heat in the skin and of strong pulsation about the head-In purposes of swallowing any thing of the nature and the dilution of the secreted liquids, lest they should be irritating. Nutrition is quite fever from contagion, this sensitive state like- out of the question. wise appears to be approximated, if fatigue or mental commotion intervene between the application of the exciting cause and seizure. The young gentleman, of whom I have spoken as dying, tired himself greatly just before he fell ill. In old writers and in new, particularly in those on the yellow fever, it may be seen how greatly fatigue will quicken and aggravate the febrile explosion. It will, Iapprehend, often render it proper that bleeding in some way should be the first step in our own fevers. A practice, the reverse of local bleeding, should be noticed here. This is the copious use of heate l liquids, by which the affection of the abdomen will be aggravated. _I*‘rom tle habits of life simply, treatment in regard to this point has been less pernicious here than in other countries. What soup abroad is to the healthy, ptisan is to the sick. The friends ge- 189 of food early in fever seem the allaying of thirst Water is best. One of the most important and obscure questions relates to the sudden rise of high inflam- mation in the after stages of fever. This is Chief among the unfavourable crises. In putrid fever, a furious tit ofmania has been seen to. arise on various occasions, upon which the fever has ceased and the patient finally regained his health. Honest Brunonians have of late minutely recorded cases, to them incomprehensible, where immense discharges have suddenly stopped a protracted fever and left the patient improved in strength. Thus oppressive accumulations of blood are sometimes drained off. When spontaneous relief does not take place, it becomes a question how far art may interpose to procure it. It is a question, on which the so neglected anatomy offever might beexpeeted to shed great light. The want of rules, such as we owe to Dr. Currie, is deeply to be lamented. warm diluents are poison to the fevering stomach. Distcnsion even with cool liquids ought to be They can here be but slowly established. That general bleeding will often succeed under very unpromising constitutional appearances, we have full reason to be satisfied. In opposition avoided; and the practitioner should feel whe- to certain intermediate, too general, inferences ther the stomach be too full. from debility, antient conspires with modern nerally tremble unless sick people take nou- rishment plentifnlly. Solids they loathe; and The only rational purposes experience , vai M0 |