Class 1/ i. i. DISEASES, &c, 9 



CLASS I. 

 j 



DISEASES OF IRRITATION, 



# v 



ORDO I. 



Itit'reafed Irritation. ^ 



GENUS I. 

 With increafed a&ions of the Sanguiferous S\y?e??!. 



THE irritability cf the whole, or of part, of our fyftem is per- 

 petually changing ; .thefe vicuTitudes of irritability and of inir- 

 ritabilitv are believed to depend on the accumulation or exriauf- 

 tion of the fenforial power, as their proximate caufe ; and on the 

 difference of the prefent ftimulus, and of that which we had 

 previoufly been accuflomed to, as their remote caufe. Thtts a 

 fmaller degree of heat produces pain and inflammation in our 

 hands, after they have been for a time immerfed in inow ; 

 which is owing to the accumulation of fenforial power in the 

 moving fibres of the cutaneous vefTels during their previous qui- 

 efcence, when they were benumbed with cold. And we feel 

 ourfelves cold iii the ufual temperature of the aimofphere on 

 coming out of a warm room ; which is owing to theexh.auit.ion 

 of fenforial power in the moving fibres of the veiTeis of the il'm 

 by their previous irlcreafed activity, into which they were exci- 

 ted by unufual heat. 



Hence the cold fits of fever are the occafion of the fucceeding 

 hot ones ; and the hot fits contribute ro occasion in their turn 

 the fucceeding cold ones. And though the increafeof ftimulus, 

 as of heat, exercife, or diftemion, will produce an ihcreafed ac- 

 tion of the fumulated fibres*, in the fame manner as it i 

 duced by the increafed irritability winch was occafioned bv a 

 previous defe<ft of ftimulus j yet as the e: . : irritation from 



the ftimulus of external th are more eafily avoided than the 



deficiencies of it 1 the difeafes of this country, except thole which 

 are the confequences of drunkennefs, or of immoderate exercife, 

 more frequently begin with torpor than with ofgaim ; that i :, 

 with inactivity of fome parts, or of the whole of the fyftem, and 

 confeqnent cpldnefs, than with mereafed acii.it/, and 1 

 quent 



li the hot fit be the confequence of the cold one, it may be 



sfl-ced ii they are p riona'.e to each other ; it is probable that 



Vol. II, C the* 



