ri2 DISEASES Class 1. 2. 4. 9, 



up and continued, or repeated frequently for an hour or two, or 

 longer, is faid to remove the pain, and totally to cure the difeafe. 



9. Tympanitis. Tympany confifts in an elaftic tumor of the 

 abdomen, which founds on being (truck. It is generally attend- 

 ed with coftivenefs and emaciation. In one kind the air is faid 

 to exift in the bowels, in which cafe the tumor is lefs equal, 

 and becomes lefs tenfe and painful on the evacuation of air. In 

 the other kind the air exifts in the cavity of the abdomen, and 

 fometimes is in a few days exchanged for water, and the tympa- 

 ny becomes an afcites. 



Air may be diftinguifhed in the ftomach of many people by 

 the found on ftriking it with the fingers, and comparing the 

 found with that of a fimilar percufTion on other parts of the 

 bowels : but towards the end of fevers and efpecially in the 

 puerperal fever, a diftention of the abdomen by air is generally 

 a fatal fymptom, though the eafe, and often cheerfulnefs of the 

 patient, vainly flatters the attendants. 



M. M. In the former cafe a clyiter-pipe unarmed maybe in- 

 troduced, and left fome time in the rectum, to take off the re- 

 finance of the fphincter, and thus difcharge the air, as it is pro- 

 duced from the fermenting or putrefying aliment. For this 

 purpofe, in a difeafe foxnewhat fimilar in horfes, a perforation is 

 made into the rectum on one fide of the fphincter ; through 

 which fiftula the air, which is produced in fuch great excefs 

 from the quantity of vegetable food which they take, when their 

 digeftions are impaired, is perpetually evacuated. In both cafes 

 alio, balfams, effential oil, fpice, bandage on the abdomen, aiid, 

 to prevent the fermentation of the aliment, acid of vitriol, faliva. 

 See Oafs I. 2. 4. 5. 



10. Hypochondriacs. The hypochondriac difeafe confiits in 

 indigeftion and confequent flatulency, with anxiety or want of 

 pleafurable fenfation. When the action of the ftomach and 

 bowels is impaired, much gas becomes generated by the ferment- 

 ing or putrefcent aliment, and to this indigeition is catenated 

 languor, coldnefs of the fkin, and fear. For when the extremi- 

 ties are cold for too long a time in fome weak conftitutions, indi- 

 geftion is produced by direct fympathy of the fkin and the ftom- 

 ach, with confequent heartburn, and flatulency. The fame oc- 

 cur?, if the fkin be made cold by fear, as in riding over dan- 

 gerous roads in winter, and hence converfely fear is produced 

 by indigeftion or torpor of the ftomach by affociation. 



This difeafe is confounded with the fear of death, which is 

 an infinity, and therefore of a totally different nature. It is al- 

 fo confounded with the hyfteric difeafe, which confifts in the 



retrograde 



