COAST FEVER. 359 



cramps which seem to draw up the body, and the 

 hot stage, which often brings on delirium and a 

 state of coma, from which the patient either awakes 

 " in the next world," or finds himself bathed in 

 profuse perspiration, greatly prostrated, but relieved 

 from pain. Then is the time to take quinine in as 

 large doses as the system will bear. I used to 

 take it until I felt my head so dizzy that every 

 thing appeared to turn, when I would lay down 

 and heap every rug I had upon me, drinking quan- 

 tities of hot weak lemonade, so as to make me 

 perspire as much as possible. Sometimes I have 

 been able to kill the fever at once by this sharp but 

 severe treatment, but at others T have had attack 

 after attack, and paroxysm after paroxysm, each 

 one leaving me weaker than the last, until the 

 disease has worn itself out and gradually become 

 weaker in its shocks. Thanks to a constitution of 

 iron, I have weathered many a bout that would 

 have killed weaker men ; but I have seen the 

 strongest taken off in a few hours, re-action never 

 occurring ; and no acclimatisation exempts an Eu- 

 ropean from this virulent and malignant disease, 



