214 DISEASES Class II. 1.3. 14. 



contagious fever, with great arterial debility ; as in fome of them, 

 ia the latter flage of the difeafe, an emphyfema could often be 

 felt in fome parts, which evinced aconfiderable progrefs of gan- 

 grene beneath the fkin. In the fenfitive inirritated fevers of 

 thefe animals, I fuppofe about fixty grains of opium, with two 

 ounces of extract of oak-bark, every fix hours, would fupply 

 them with an efficacious medicine ; to which might be added 

 thirty grains of vitriol of iron, if any tendency to bloody urine 

 fhould appear, to which this animal is liable. The method of 

 preventing the infection from fpreading, if it fhould ever again 

 gain accefs to this ifland, would be immediately to obtain an or- 

 der from government to prevent any cattle from being removed, 

 which were found within five miles of the place fuppofed to be 

 infected, for a few days ; till the certainty of the exiftence of 

 the peitilence could be afcertained, by a committee of medical 

 people. As foon as this was afcertained, all the cattle within 

 five miles of the place mould be immediately flaughtered, and 

 confumed within the circumfcribed diftricl: ; and their hides put 

 into lime-water before proper infpectors. 



14. Pemphigus is a contagious difeafe, attended with blad- 

 dery eruptions, appearing on the fecond or third day, as large as 

 filberts, which remain many days, and then effufe a thin ichor. 

 It feems to be either of a mild kind, with fenfitive fever only, of 

 which I have (ten two inftances ; or with irritated, or with in- 

 irritated fever ; as appears from the obfervations of M. Salabert. 

 See Medical Comment. By Dr. Duncan, Decad. II. Vol. VI. 



15. Varicella. Chicken-pox is accompanied with fenfitive 

 fever, puftules break out after a mild fever, like the fmall-pox, 

 feldom fuppurate 5 and generally terminate in fcales without fears. 

 I once faw a lady who mifcarried during this difeafe, though all 

 her children had it as flightly as ufual. It fometimes leaves 

 fears or marks on the fkin. This difeafe has been miftaken for 

 the fmall-pox, and inoculated for it ; and then the fmall-pox has 

 been fuppofed to happen twice to the fame perfon. See Tranf. 

 of the College, London. It is probable that the pemphigus and 

 urticaria, as well as this difeafe, have formerly been difeafes of 

 more danger ; which the habit of innumerable generations may 

 have rendered mild, and will in procefs of time annihilate. In 

 the fame manner as the fmall-pox, venereal difeafe, and rickets, 

 feem to become milder or lefs in quantity every half century. 

 While, at the fame time, it is not improbable, that other new 

 difeafes may arife, and, for a feafon, thin mankind ! 



j 6. Urticaria. Nettle-rafti begins with mild fenfitive fever, 

 which is fometimes fcarcely perceptible. Hence this eruption 

 has been thought of two forts, one with and the other without 



fever. 



