190 DISEASES CLASS II. 1. 3. 2. 



ken from him four or five times in considerable quantity, with 

 gentle cathartics, with calomel, diluents, and cool air, and he 

 recovered without any signs of delirium, or inflammation of the 



meninges of the brain. Mr. W , a strong corpulent 



man of inferior life, had erysipelas over his whole head, with 

 strong hard pulse; he was not evacuated early in the disease 

 through the timidity of his apothecary, and died delirious. Mrs. 



F had erysipelas on the face, without either strong or weak 



pulse; that is, with sensitive fever alone, without superabun- 

 dance or deficiency of irritation; and recovered without any but 

 natural evacuations. From these three cases of erysipelas on the 

 head it appears that the evacuations by the lancet must be used 

 with courage, where the degree of inflammation requires it; 

 but not where this degree of inflammation is small, nor in the 

 erysipelas attended with inirritation, as described below. 



M. M. Venesection repeated according to the degree of in- 

 flammation. An emetic. Calomel, three grains every other 

 night. Cool air. Diluents, emetic tartar in small doses, as a 

 quarter of a grain every six hours. Tea, weak broth, gruel, le- 

 monade, neutral salts. See Sect. XII. 6. 



Such external applications as carry away the heat of the skin 

 may be of service, as cold water, cold flour, snow, ether. Be- 

 cause these applications impede the exertions of the secerning 

 vessels, which are now in too great action; but any applica- 

 tions of the stimulant kind, as solutions of lead, iron, copper, 

 or of alum, used early in the disease, must be injurious; as they 

 stimulate the secerning vessels, as well as the absorbent vessels, 

 into greater action; exactly as occurs when stimulant eye wa- 

 ters are used too soon in ophthalmy. See Class II. 1. 2. 2. 

 But as the cuticle peels off in this case after the inflammation ceases, 

 it differs from ophthalmy; and stimulant applications are not 

 indicated at all, except where symptoms of gangrene appear. 

 For as a new cuticle is formed under the old one, as under a blis- 

 ter, the serous fluid between them is a defence to the new cuti- 

 cle, and should dry into a scab by exhalation rather than be re- 

 absorbed. Hence we see how greasy or oily applications, and 

 even how moist ones, are injurious in erysipelas; because they 

 prevent the exhalation of the serous effusion between the old and 

 new cuticle, and thus retard the formation of the latter. 



Erysipelas inirritatum differs from the former in its being at- 

 tended with weak pulse, and other symptoms of sensitive inir- 

 ritated fever. The feet and legs are particularly liable to this 

 erysipelas, which precedes or attends the sphacelus or mortifica- 

 tion of those parts. A great and long coldness first affects the 

 limb, and the erysipelas on the skin seems to occur in conse- 



