CIASS 11. 1. 6. $. . OF SENSATION. 243 



the usual means were employed by his friends to encourage him, 

 " by advising him not to be afraid." By which good advice he 

 conceived so much fear, that he ran away early next morning, 

 and returned in about a week quite well. Did the great fear 

 promote the absorption of the matter, like the sickness occasioned 

 by digitalis ? Fear renders the external skin pale; by this con- 

 tinued decrease of the action of the absorbents of the skin might 

 not those of the lungs be excited into greater activity? and thus 

 produce increased pulmonary absorption by reverse sympathy, 

 as it produces pale urine, and even stools, by direct sympathy? 

 M. M. Digitalis? 



5. Febris Mesenterica. Fever from matter formed in the me- 

 sentery is probably more frequent than is suspected. It commences 

 with pain in the bowels, with irritated sensitive fever; and 

 continues many weeks, and even months, requiring occasional 

 venesection, and mild cathartics; till at length the continuance 

 of the pyrexia, or inflammatory fever, destroys the patient. This 

 is an atfection of the lymphatic glands, and properly belongs to 

 scrofula; but as the matter is not exposed to the air, no hectic 

 fever, properly so called, is inducrrl. 



6. Febris a pure acrato. Fever from aerated matter. A great 

 collection of matter often continues a long time, and U some- 

 times totally absorbed, even from venereal buboes, without pro- 

 ducing any disorder in the arterial system. At length, if it be- 

 comes putrid by its delay, and one part of the matter thus be- 

 comes aerated by the air given out by the other part; or if the 

 ulcer has been opened, so that any part of it has been exposed 

 to the air for but one day, a hectic fever is produced. Whence 

 the utility arises of opening large abscesses by setons, as in that 

 case little or no hectic fever is induced; because the mutter is 

 squeezed out by the side of the spongy threads of cotton, and 

 little or no air is admitted; or by tapping the abscess with a 

 trocar, as mentioned in ischias, Class II 1. 2. 18. 



In this fever the pulse is about 120 in a minute, and its at cess 

 is generally in an evening, and sometimes about noon also, with 

 sweats or purging towards morning, or urine with pus-like 

 sediment: and the patients bear this fever better than any other 

 with so quick a pulse: and lastly, when all the matter from a 

 concealed ulcer is absorbed, or when an open ulcer is healed, the 

 hectic fever ceases. Here the absorbed matter is supposed to 

 produce the fever, and the diarrhoea, sweats, or copious muddy 

 urine, to be simply the consequence of increased secretion, and 

 not to consist of the purulent matter, which was supposed to be 

 absorbed from the ulcer. See Sudor calidus, Class I. 1. 2. 3. 



The action of the air on ulcers, as we have already shewn, in- 



