786 
¢¢ The lassitude and depression of spirits, 
with restless nights, harass the patients for 
many days after ihe decline of the. fever ; 
which indeed, in several instinces, does not 
go off after the fifth day, but becomes inter- 
mittent, the patient feeling himself worse 
every other day.” 
These symptoms were modified in va- 
rious ways 3 in some there appearing a 
violent headach, and in others a sore 
throat, a peripneumonic dispositton, or a 
disorder of& the stomach and bowels. As 
the author considers the fever to be the 
essence of the complaint, his plan of cure 
is principally directed to the use of such 
remedies, as are capable of acting upon 
the system at large. Hence he recom- 
mends, at first, emetics, cathartics, and 
diaphoretics, and afterwards gentle opi- 
ates and the squill. - Blisters were bene- 
ficial for the relief of the cough and 
dyspnoea, and when pneumonic symp- 
toms appeared early, blood-letting was 
necessary. Great debility had remained 
after the symptoms had gone off, which 
was rather to be removed by bitters or 
myrrh, than bark or mineral acids. 
The infectious nature of this disease, 
the author thinks is hardly to be doubt- 
ed; but his opinion on this point appears 
to be rather derived from general reason- 
ing, than the consideration of particular 
facts. Nothing but facts can justify a 
decided conclusion upon this subject ; 
for though the origin of the complaint 
may not be referable to any perceptible 
change in the state of the air, yet it by 
Art. XVIII. A Plain Discourse on the Causes, Symptoms, Nature, and Cure of the pres 
wailing Epidemical Disease, termed Influenza. 
the’ Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. pp. 76. 
THE author has entered upon the 
consideration of influenza, with hypothe- 
tical ideas on the general nature of dis- 
eases, unsupported by, and frequently . 
repugnant to the inductions of the most 
cautiousand attentive observation. He 
is a Brunonian, but his principles do not 
always accord with those of his master; 
for while the latter admitted the exist- 
ence of diseases of excitement, requiring 
blood-letting and other evacuants, the 
former denies that such a morbid state 
of the system can ever occur; and hence 
concludes, that the debilitating plan of 
cure must, ip every circumstance, be im- 
proper. ‘Ihe extent to which Dr. Herd- 
man carries his speculative notions on 
the practice of medicine, which, it may 
however be remarked, are not novel, 
muy be appreciated, from his determined 
MEDICINE, SURGERY, ANATOMY, &e. 
no means fellows from hence, that iti 
necessarily propagated by personal com 
munication. It must still be admitted to 
have artsen from an unknown cause, the 
operation of which differs exceedingly 
from that of any. contagion with which 
we are acquainted, and untibit is une- 
quivocally shewn that it has been convey- 
ed only by personal intercourse, and has 
been confined within the limits to which» 
this has extended, many doubts must 
still remain on this subject. In the com-— 
munications from which the author gives 
abstracts, there is considerable difference 
of opinion with regard to the contagious ° 
nature of the complaint. Most of the — 
correspondents consider it as an infectious” 
disease, but one of them who is of this 
opinion, Mr. Du Gard, of Shrewsbury, 
Mentions an instance of a boy, who was 
seized with it at a grammar school, on 
the 20th of February, was ill a week, 
and did not communicate the complaint 
to his bedfellow, nor any of the boys in 
the samre room, who amounted to 20: 
«© nor did any one in the house become 
attacked with the disease till this boy had 
been well eleven days, at which time, five or 
six were taken ill, and the same number 
daily till four fifths of the school were affected.” 
In general, the observations and prac- 
tice of the author’s cormespondents pretty 
much agreed with hisown. The disease 
very seldom assumed an inflammatory 
disposition, and bleeding was rarely ne- 
cessary. 
By Jonn Hervman, M.D. fellow of 
reprobation of blood-letting in the most 
violent pneumonia. The more violent 
the inflammatcry symptons are, the 
greater, in bis opinion, is the degree of 
debility which has occasioned them, and 
the less, therefore, are the usual means 
for removing inflammation, adapted 
to the cure. A doctrine so extremely 
repugnant to the universal experience of 
medical practitioners, might doa great 
deal of harm, if it were not so evidently 
in contempt of every well established 
fact, and so clearly the result of a nar- 
row and unphilosophical view of the 
subject. ‘The author possesses, however, 
a great deal of self-complacency, and 
entertains no’ doubt of the firmness of 
the basis on which his reasoning and 
practice are built. ; ; 
His doctrige and treatment of influen- 
