384 REPORT OX THE DISEASES AMONG THE 



INTERMITTENTS, OR AGUES. 



Of intermittents we have common tertians, quotidians, and 

 quartans. They differ in no respect from the agues in Great 

 Britain, except that they are more violent in their symptoms, 

 and often more fatal in their consequences, in the West Indies, 

 as they frequently degenerate into continued fever, or occasion 

 visceral obstructions, topical inflammation in the stomach, ali- 

 mentary canal, and other viscera ; hence jaundice, dropsy, 

 dysentery, &c. 



Causes. — Marsh miasma, the universal cause of all interniit- 

 tents ; especially when conjoined with heat and moisture in 

 the atmosphere. 



In the island of St Lucia, agues amongst the troops are en- 

 demic. The climate is hot, and at some seasons the rains are 

 heavy and incessant. The earth is wet and soaked in water 

 in the day-time, the exhalation by the heat of the sun is so great 

 that the bodies of men may be said to be in a vapour-bath. At 

 night the land-breeze is cold, moist, and chilly. If camps or 

 barracks be placed to leeward of swamps or morasses, the 

 stench is often intolerable, and never fails to produce ao-ues, 

 or other bad fevers, as well as dysentery. 



The predisposing causes of agues are, whatever debilitates 

 the system, as fatigue in the heat of the day, getting wet with 

 rain, and sleeping in wet clothes, which frequently happens to 

 soldiers in actual service. We add to these, poor living and 

 intemperance in drinking spiritous liquors, particularly new 

 rum. 



The Cure. — Before a cure can be effected with any degree 

 of success, the sick ought, if possible, to be removed from the 

 neighbourhood of swamps or morasses, to hospitals situated on 

 a rising ground, or dry gravelly soil. 



In simple tertians, it is only necessary to cleanse the prima? 

 via? by gentle emetics and cooling laxatives ; and immediately 



