%4 DISEASES Class I. i. 2. v 



probable, that, in more advanced life fome of the finer branches 

 of the arteries coalefce, and become impervious, and thus add to 

 the opacity of the flan. 



-:. Sudor, calidus. Warm fweat may be divided into four va- 

 rieties, according to its remote caufes. Firjl> the perfpirable 

 matter is fecreted in as great quantity during the hot fit of fever, 

 as towards the end of it, when the fweat is feen upon the fkin. 

 But during the hot fit the cutaneous abforbents ac~r. alfo with in- 

 creafed energy, and the exhalation is likewife increafed by the 

 greater heat of the fkin \ and hence it does not appear in drops 

 on the furface, but is in part re-abforbed, and in part diffipated 

 in the atmofphere. But as the mouths of the cutaneous abforb- 

 ents are expofed to the cool air or bedclothes ; whilfl thofe of 

 the capillary glands, which fecrete the perfpirable matter, are ex- 

 pofed to the warmth of the circulating blood ; the former, as 

 rj as the fever-fit begins to decline, loie their increafed a&ion 

 firft, and hence the abiorption of the fweat is diminifhed, whilfl: 

 the increafed fecretion of it continues for fome hours afterwards, 

 Whicii becafiohs it to (land in drops upon the fkin. 



As the fkin becomes cooler, the evaporation of the perfpira- 

 ble matter becomes lefs, as well as the abferption of it. And 

 hence the diflipation of aqueous iiuid from the body, and the 

 confequent thirft, are perhaps greater during the hot fit, than 

 during -the fubfequent fweat. For the fweats do not occur, ac- 

 cording to Dr. Alexander's experiments, till the Hun is cooled 

 from ] : 12 to 108 degrees of heat ; that is, till the paroxyfm be- 

 gins to decline. From this it appears, that the fweats are not 

 critical to the hot fit, any more than the hot fit can be called 

 critical t»o the cold one ; but (imply, that they are the natural 

 confequence of the decline of the hot fit, commencing with the 

 decreafed action of the abforbent fyftem, and the decreafed evap- 

 oration from the fkin. And from hence it may be concluded, 

 that a fever-fit is not in general an effort of nature to reftore 

 health, as Sydenham confidered it, but a necefiary confequence 

 of the previous torpor ; and that the caufes of fevers would be 

 lefs detrimental, if the fever itfelf could be prevented from exift- 

 ing v as appears in the cool treatment of the fmall-pox. 



It muft be noted that the profufe fweats on the fkin are more 

 frequent at the decline of fever-fits than the copious urine, or 

 loofe (tools, which are mentioned below ; as the cutaneous ab- 

 forbents, being expofe4 to the cool air, loie their increafed ac- 

 tion fooner than the urinary or inteftinal abforbents ; which 

 qpen into the warm cavities of ladder and inteftines ; but 



which arc nevertheless often afFecled by their fympathy with the 

 cutaneous abforbents. Jience few fevers terminate without a 



moitturs 



