FEVERS. 653 



found it necessary to consider symptoms as well as remedies, 

 as separated from one another, whereas they ought to be viewed 

 as combined together, and as the symptoms and remedies are 

 related. I would hope, from the account I have given, that you 

 are ready for this application ; but it may be still useful to give 

 you some examples, to state some cases of fever of different kinds, 

 and to point out where indeed the difficulty occurs with respect 

 to the employment of remedies. Had I my choice, I would state 

 the cases, and put the questions to you, and it would be very 

 useful for you to give me answers ; but this would not perhaps 

 be very readily received, and would take up too much time ; I 

 must therefore put the questions, and give the answers myself. 



" The cases, then, which I am to put, are of three kinds, as 

 they respect either the approach of fever, or the first formation 

 of fever, or various cases of the disease already formed. 



"I. The approach of fever undoubtedly is marked by a 

 variety of symptoms, which are not properly symptoms of the 

 fever, but occur before the proper formation of it. Thus, a 

 person feels a certain sluggishness, an aversion to motion, a 

 want of that alacrity in the employment of his body or mind, 

 which he usually had ; with these symptoms, which are com- 

 prehended under the term of Lassitude, there is a want of appe- 

 tite, with a sensibility to the coldness of the air, so that upon 

 the approach of a stream of air he is apt to complain of cold, 

 though without any shivering; at the same time, the vivacity of 

 his eyes and features is disturbed. 



" By these symptoms we very often discern the approach of 

 a fever, and in the time of a contagion they are pretty certain 

 presages ; at other times, however, they are hardly to be re- 

 garded, especially if the patient can assign certain causes for 

 them, such as perhaps some debauch or fatigue, or watching, 

 or that he knows that such symptoms have formerly proceeded, 

 and usually do proceed from some particular disorder of the 

 stomach. But if the patient can assign no such cause, an ap- 

 proaching fever is to be suspected, and the question is, What 

 are the proper measures to be taken in such circumstances ? It 

 is certainly of the utmost importance to know, if, by good luck, 

 we can prevent a dangerous disease from coming on. I will not 



