512 PRACTICE OY PHYSIC. 



authority rather than by their own observation ; and that the 

 servility in believing, and bigotry in maintaining, what has been 

 delivered by ancient authority, govern physicians as well as the 

 rest of mankind. So the great mass of testimony against us 

 will be greatly diminished as to the number of witnesses, and 

 will not have such weight as might be imagined. 



" The physicians of all" ages have, however, concurred in 

 the opinion, that the greater number of fevers, at least ninety- 

 nine out of an hundred, are such as we have supposed, in which 

 the exacerbations of every twenty-four hours may be distinguish- 

 ed. I must, indeed, say that there are varieties here in some 

 respects, for there is no setting bounds to the exceptions of na- 

 ture ; but still if they are only varieties they deserve less at- 

 tention ; and while there is seemingly such an endless variety, 

 there is indeed a wonderful uniformity in nature's works, which 

 is now every day more attended to. Every fact, accordingly, 

 which is in strong contradiction to the general tenor of nature, 

 is always a suspicious fact, and in most instances owing to 

 superficial observation, which accuracy and attention bring back 

 to its true point of view. 



" To all this I would add, if it can have any weight, that in 

 the course of nearly forty years' pretty extensive practice, I 

 have never observed what I could call a continent fever, but 

 could always discern, by attentive observation, more or less of 

 exacerbation and remission. And I have some authorities on 

 which you will lay more weight, such as De Haen, a physician 

 of much practice, and also an attentive observer, who grants 

 the same thing. I think since this subject has been started, phy- 

 sicians have come more into the opinion ; and indeed there is no 

 applying to practice with any steadiness without attending to it. 1 " 



I expect that this doctrine will be confirmed by what I shall 

 say hereafter concerning the periodical movements observed in 

 continued fevers. 



LVIII. It being thus proved, that every fever of more than 

 one day's duration consists of repeated pafoxysms, we, in the 

 next place, remark, that the repetition of paroxysms depends 

 upon the circumstances of the paroxysms which have already 

 taken place. From what was observed in XXX. and XXXI. 

 it appears, that the longer paroxysms are protracted they are 



