OF THE EARL Y STAGES OF FEVER. 



349 



ment, and that fever must be left to itself, or the 

 natural course of the disease merely watched with 

 care, and the efforts of nature assisted. But yet, 

 from some of the remarks made of late years, many a 

 student has been led to suppose that it was really 

 doubtful whether the patient suffering from fever was 

 placed in a more favourable condition as regards his 

 chances of recovery if he was subjected to treatment, 

 than if the course of the malady was merely atten- 

 tively watched by his medical attendant. Some, 

 indeed, seem to cast doubt upon the utility of all 

 treatment, and the art of medicine, according to them, 

 would seem to be almost reduced to the art of con- 

 soling the sick and their friends. 



Scientific doubt concerning the action of remedies, 

 encouraged by general scepticism or disbelief in the 

 remedial influence of measures, many of which were 

 believed in by our predecessors, has paved the way 

 for the reception of that most interesting and highly 

 intellectual form of philosophical credulity, "nihilism." 

 Such a result, however, can hardly be fairly accounted 

 for by the advance of knowledge, as has been errone- 

 ously intimated. It seems rather to be due to an 

 obstinate determination on the part of an energetic 

 few to insist that all shall look at things from their 

 own particular point of view ; and that only cer- 

 tain facts, which are of importance by reason of 

 having received their imprint, are to be regarded as 

 facts at all. On the other hand, all phenomena which 



