FEVERS. 489 



On the other hand, continued fevers, to be more strictly so 

 called, may be distinguished by their showing little tendency to 

 become intermittent or remittent in any part of their course, 

 and especially after the first week of their continuance ; by their 

 being occasioned by human contagion, at least by other causes 

 than the marsh miasmata; and by their having pretty con- 

 stantly an exacerbation and remission twice in the course of 

 every twenty-four hours. In both cases, the knowledge of the 

 nature of the epidemic for the time prevailing, may have a 

 great share in determining the nature of the particular fever. 



XXX. With respect to the form, or TYPE, of fevers, this 

 further may be observed, that the quartan, while it has the 

 longest interval, has, at the same time, the longest and most 

 violent cold stage ; but, upon the whole, the shortest paroxysm : 

 that the tertian having a shorter interval than the quartan, has, 

 at the same time, a shorter and less violent cold stage, but a 

 longer paroxysm : and, lastly, that the quotidian, with the short- 

 est interval, has the least of a cold stage, but the longest par- 

 oxysm. 



XXXI. The type of*fevers is sometimes changed in their 

 course. When this happens it is generally in the following 

 manner: Both tertians "and quartans change into quotidians, 

 quotidians into remittents, and these last become often of the 

 most continued kind. In all these cases, the fever has its par- 

 oxysms protracted longer than usual, before it changes into a 

 type of more frequent repetition. 



XXXII. From all this a presumption arises that every 

 fever consists of repeated paroxysms, differing from others 

 chiefly in the circumstances and repetition of the paroxysms ; 

 and, therefore, that it was allowable for us to take the paroxysm 

 of a pure intermittent as an example and model of the whole. 



" From this view I say, we may presume that fevers of all 

 sorts are not only of one order, but nearly of what may be call- 

 ed one genus ; and the particular application I would make of 

 this consideration, is, that I had good grounds for taking the par- 

 oxysm of an intermittent fever as a proper example and model 

 of the whole of fevers. And I would add farther, that if we 

 can arrive at a tolerable explanation of that fit, we will go far to 

 explain the whole. In order to this, you must attend to the 



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