452 PRACTICE OF PHYSIC. 



thoric persons, blood-letting may be very necessary, and is com- 

 monly allowable. But it is also evident, that, under the fre- 

 quent recurrence of fits, blood-letting cannot be frequently re- 

 peated without exhausting and weakening the patient too much. 

 It is further to be observed, that blood-letting is not so neces- 

 sary as might be imagined, as the passage of the blood through 

 the lungs is not so much interrupted as has been commonly sup- 

 posed. This I particularly conclude from hence, that, instead of 

 the suffusion of face, which is the usual effect of such interrup- 

 tion, the face, in asthmatic fits, is often shrunk and pale. I 

 conclude the same also from this, that, in asthmatic fits, blood- 

 letting does not commonly give so much relief as, upon the con- 

 trary supposition, might be expected. 



MCCCLXXXIX. As I have alleged above, that a turges- 

 cence of the blood is frequently the exciting cause of asthmatic 

 fits, so it might be supposed, that a plethoric state of the system 

 might have a great share in producing a turgescence of the 

 blood in the lungs ; and especially, therefore, that blood-letting 

 might be a proper remedy in asthma. I allow it to be so in the 

 first attacks of the disease : but as the disease, by continuing, 

 generally takes off the plethoric state of the system ; so, after 

 the disease has continued for some time, I allege that blood- 

 letting becomes less and less necessary. 



MCCCXC. Upon the supposition of asthmatics being 

 in a plethoric state, purging might be supposed to prove a 

 remedy in this disease : but, both because the supposition is 

 not commonly well founded, and because purging is seldom 

 found to relieve the vessels of the thorax, this remedy has not 

 appeared to be well suited to asthmatics ; and large purging 

 has always been found to do much harm. But, as asthmatics 

 are always hurt by the stagnation and accumulation of matters 

 in the alimentary canal, so costiveness must be avoided, and an 

 open belly proves useful. In the time of fits, the employment 

 of emollient and moderately laxative glysters has been found to 

 give considerable relief. 



MCCCXCI. As a flatulency of the stomach, and other 

 symptoms of indigestion, are frequent attendants of asthma, 

 and very troublesome to asthmatics; so, both for removing 

 these symptoms, and for taking off all determination to the 



