125 



rently in perfect lieallli. During the relapse, nothing would 

 pass through the bowels, and it died in great agony. On 

 inspecting the abdominal viscera, the day after its death, the 

 whole alimentary canal was found empty ; nothing like ob- 

 struction any where, but considerable marks of superficial 

 inflammation, more especially on the small intestines. 



Although energetic measures, such as I have described, 

 will usually succeed in affording relief at the end of forty- 

 eight or sixty hours; yet I was once under the necessity of 

 continuing the administration of purgatives for an entire 

 week. For seven days and seven nights, an infant, of six 

 weeks old, had, on an average, a convulsive fit every hour. 

 These began on the eighth day after inocculation for Cow- 

 pock. For some days it was difficult to persuade the parents 

 that the convulsions were not produced by the inocculation. 

 In proportion, however, as I found the bowels to resist the 

 operation of Physic, in the same degree, was I convinced 

 that they were the seat of disease. Notwithstanding all the 

 exertions that I, and a respectable practioner in consultation, 

 could make b}' alternating Calomel with fluid physic of va- 

 rious kinds, we obtained but scanty evacuations during the 

 week. At length the bowels yielded freely, and in the course 

 of the second week, ampl}' repaid the deficiencies of the first. 

 At the end of two years, I had the satisfaction of learning 

 from this inafnt's father, that it then enjoyed perfect health. 

 Warm bathing, fomentations to the abdomen and purgative 

 injections into the rectum were employed in this case, as in 



all 



