67 cee 
(ia febrile systems) and the patient being dressed 
and out of bed, are adverse to any artificial ex- 
citement of the skin, by the means grouped under 
the second and third heads of the preceding sec- 
tional arrangement of diaphoretics. It is there- 
fore obvious, that whatever shall, under the ex- 
isting circumstances, tend to obviate these oppo- 
sing er discouraging influences, will be proper to 
be done, in order to ensure the cutaneous transpi- 
ration to the extent desired. It is frequently im- 
possible to open the skin, until the arterial excite- 
ment be reduced by venesection, or previous and 
equivalent purging. And if these do not reduce 
the high temperature of the skin, it would be idle 
to attempt sweating, by internal medicines or ex- 
ternal heat, the latter tending only to increase a 
température of the superficies already too exalted. 
Cold affusions only, will here effect it. My expe- 
rience with the ardent fever of a warm climate, 
attended with an excessively dry and hot skin, 
enables me to speak confidently on this point. | 
OF THE MEDICAL USE OF DIAPHORETICS. 
“ * 
Health we know, consists in the due perform- 
ance of all the functions of the body. I assume 
therefore, as an undeniable truth, that whichsoever — 
of these is disturbed, is productive of disease or — 
disorder, which will be proportionable to the de- 
gree of interruption which has occurred. It need 
hardly be observed, that as the whole exterior sur- 
face is designed to perform a transpiratory func- 
tion, the skin, from its very extent and exposure to. 
those vicissitudes and natural causes which can 
aid, support, lessen, check, and altogether extin- 
