1(54 VERMINOUS AFFECTIONS. 



§ CI. Persons inhabiting cold, wet, and un- 

 healthrul climates, whose food consists of viscous 

 rather than nutricious substances, who drink im- 

 pure water, who are daily fatigued by their labour, 

 who have little rest, and are a prey to those pas- 

 sions of the soul which break down the mind, and 

 weaken the body, these persons are found to be sub- 

 ject to those general affections which arise from 

 worms. '? o the assemblage of these causes more 

 or loss active and more or less permanent;, are to 

 be attributed the origin of the most famous vermin- 

 ous epidemics described by authors, and particu- 

 larly those of Bailou,{Si) Van Suiietenf[82) Hux- 

 ham,{SS) and Van-den Boschj[8'i) as well as the 

 fevrrs reputed to be of this kind by a number of 

 celebrated practitioners. 



We must ascribe to these causes the intermit- 

 tent 'uid remittent fevers, named verminous by 

 l)ehaenf{S5) and by other writers of merit. But 

 how can we consider w orms alone as the primitive 

 cause of those diseases which have been so mortal? 

 I do not deny that the morbid irritation they pro- 

 duce, since we see it to be the cause of a number 

 of sympathetic verminous affections, may also con- 

 tribute to increase these asthenic disorders of the 

 whole system. Still however no one can convince 

 me that the mere irritation from worms can be suf- 

 ficient to produce a fever of the typhous character. 



We often see in smallpox and measles symp- 

 toms of worms ; it would nevertheless be errone- 



