126 On the Diseases of 



The dangers of this disease, such as we have just ex- 

 posed them, are but too common, especially in July, 

 August, September, and October. They, however, 

 vary sometimes, according to the simplicity or multipli- 

 city of causes producing them, and according to the age 

 and constitution, so that the evils arising from them 

 are less or greater, more or less multiplied. The dan- 

 ger, for instance, is less for a young man than for an 

 older person, because, in a young man, the fibres are softer, 

 the springs more supple, the diameter of which can be 

 stretched without the danger of their being broken. He 

 therefore extricates himself more commonly from that 

 disease, when suitable remedies are seasonably applied. 

 For contrary reasons, old persons are in greater dan- 

 ger. As for the constitution, the danger will be greater 

 for bilious and sanguine persons, than for phlegmatic, 

 because of the fermentation and inflammability of the 

 principles of the former. As for the concourse of 

 causes that may have given rise to the disease, it is evi- 

 dent that the greater their number, the less susceptible 

 the patient will be of recovering. 



Two general indications offer themselves for the cure 

 of this disease : 1 , to lower the forced tone of the solids, 

 or cause the eretism to cease : 2, to diminish afterwards 

 the volume of the fluids. 



One would be inclined to believe that bleeding would 

 be the remedy which we should particularly insist on, 

 to fulfil this double indication ; nevertheless, though 

 bleeding be good by itself, when sparingly and wisely 

 applied, experience has demonstrated to us (and it is in 



