Sup. I. ii. 5. THEORY OF FEVER. 477 



fevers with arterial debility be in general owing to paucity of 

 blood ? as explained in Sect. XXXII. 2. 3. and its flownefs in 

 parefis irritativa be caufed by the debility being accompanied 

 with due quantity of blood ? or may not the former circum- 

 ftance fometimes depend on a concomitant affect-ion of the brain 

 approaching to fleep ? or to the unufual facility of the paflage 

 of the blood through the pulmonary and aortal capillaries ? in 

 which circumftance the heart may completely empty itfelf at 

 each pulfation, though its contractions may be weak. While 

 the latter depends on the difficulty of the paflage of the blood 

 through the pulmonary or aortal capillaries, as in the cold fits 

 of intermittent^, and in fome palpitations of the heart, and in 

 fome kinds of hxmoptoe ; in thefe cafes the increafed refinance 

 prevents the heart from emptying itfelf, and in confequence a 

 new diaftole fooner occurs, and thus the number of pulfations 

 becomes greater in a given time. 



5. In refpec"t to the fympathies of action, which produce or 

 conftitute fever with debility, the fyftem may be divided into 

 certain provinces, which are effentient or oppofite to each oth- 

 er. Firft, the lacteals or abforbent vefTels of the ftomach, and 

 upper part of the interlines ; fecondly, the lymphatics or all the 

 other branches of the abforbent vefTels, which arife from the 

 ikin, mucous membranes, cellular membranes, and the various 

 glands. Thefe two divifions act by reverfe fympathy with each 

 other in the hot fits of fever with debility, though by direct, 

 fympathy in the cold ones. The third divifion confifts of the 

 fecerning vefTels of the ftomach and upper inteftines ; and the 

 fourth of the fecerning vefTels of all the other parts of the body, 

 as the capillary glands of the (kin, lungs, and cellular membrane, 

 and the various other glands belonging to the fanguiferous fyf- 

 tem. Many of thefe frequently, but the capillaries always, act 

 by reverfe fympathy with thofe of the third divifion above men- 

 tioned in the hot fits of fever with debilitv, though bv direct 

 fympathy with them in the cold fits. Fifthly, the mufcular fi- 

 bres of the ftomach, and upper inteftines ; and fixthly, the muf- 

 cular fibres of the heart and arteries. The actions of thefe 

 two laft divifions of moving fibres act by direct fympathy with 

 each other, both in the cold and hot fits of fevers with debility. 



The efficient caufe of thofe apparent fympathies in fevers 

 with weak pulfe may be thus underftood. In the cold paroxyfm 

 of fever with weak pulfe the part firft affected I believe to be 

 the ftomach, and that it has become torpid bv previous violent 

 exertion, as by fwallowing contagious matter mixed with faliva, 

 and not by defect of ftimulus, as from cold or hunger. The 

 actions of this important organ, which fvmoathizes with almoft 



every 



