Sup. I. 13. THEORY OF FEVER. 491 



delirious; pulse 112. Takes only capillaire and water; sleeps 

 much. 



Twentieth day. Pulse 100. skin dry but less hot, liquid stools 

 not so frequent, he is emaciated to a great degree, he has eaten 

 half a tea-cupful of custard to day, drinks only capillaire and 

 water, has thrice taken two large spoonfuls of decoction of bark 

 with three drops of laudanum, refuses to have his legs bathed, 

 and will now take nothing but three drops of laudanum twice a 

 day. 



Twenty-fourth day. He has gradually taken more custard 

 every day, and began to attend to some new playthings, and takes 

 wine syllabub. 



Twenty-eighth day. He daily grows stronger, eats eggs, 

 and bread and butter, and sleeps immediately after his food, can 

 creep on his hands and knees, but cannot stand erect. 



Thirty-second day. He cannot yet stand alone safely, but 

 seems hourly to improve in strength of body, and activity of 

 mind. 



In this case the remote cause of his fever could not be well 

 ascertained, as it might be from having his feet cold for many 

 successive days, or from contagion; but the latter seems more 

 probable, because his younger brother became ill of a similar fe- 

 ver about three weeks afterwards, and probably received the in- 

 fection from him. The disease commenced with great torpor 

 of the stomach, which was shewn by his total aversion to solid 

 food, and perpetual sickness; the watery stools, which were 

 sometimes green, or of a darkish yellow, were owing to the acri- 

 mony, or acidity of the contents of the bowels; which as well 

 as the flatulency were occasioned by indigestion. This torpor 

 of the stomach continued throughout the whole fever, and when 

 it ceased, the fever ceased along with it. 



The contagious material of this fever I suppose to have been 

 mixed with the saliva, and swallowed into the stomach; that 

 it excited the vessels, which constitute the stomach, into the 

 greatest irritative motion like arsenic; which might not be per- 

 ccived, and yet might render that organ paralytic or inirritable in a 

 moment of time; as animals sometimes die by one single exertion, 

 and consequent paralysis, without a second struggle; as by 

 lightning, or being shot through the back part of the brain; of 

 both which I have seen instances. I had once an opportunity 

 of inspecting two oxen, a few minutes after they were killed by 

 lightning under a crab-tree on moist ground in long grass; and 

 observed, that they could not have struggled, as the grass was 

 not pressed or bent near them; I have also seen two horses shot 

 through the cerebellum, who never once drew in their legs after 



