SECT, XXXIII. a. 7> OF SENSATION. 3 1 1 



tain time ; for if the body was capable of receiving the difeafe a 

 fecond time, the patient muft perpetually infect himfelf by the 

 very matter, which he has himfelf produced, and is lodged about 

 him ; and hence he could never become free from the difeafe. 

 Something fimilar to this is feen in the fecondary fever of the 

 confluent fmall-pox j there is a great abforption of variolous 

 matter, a very minute part of which would give the genuine 

 fmall-pox to another perfon ; but here it only ftimulates the 

 fyitem into common fever ; like that which common pus, or 

 any other acrid material might occafion. 



7. In the pulmonary confumption, where common matter is 

 daily abforbed, an irritative fever only, without new inflam- 

 mation, is generally produced ; which is terminated like other 

 irritative fevers by fweats or loofe (tools. Hence it does not 

 appear, that this abforbed matter always als as a contagious ma- 

 terial producing frefh inflammation or newabfcefles. Though 

 there is reafon to believe, that the firfl time any common matter 

 is abforbed, it has this effect, but not the fecond time, like the 

 variolous matter above mentioned. 



This accounts for the opinion, that the pulmonary confump- 

 tion is fometimes infectious, which opinion was held by the an- 

 cients, and continues in Italy at prefent ; and I have myfelf feeii 

 three or four initances, where a hufband and wife, who have 

 flept together, and have thus much received each other's breath, 

 who have infected each other, and both died in confequence of 

 the original taint of only one of them. This alfo accounts for 

 the abfcefles in various parts of the body, that are fometimes 

 produced after the inoculated fmall-pox is terminated ; for this 

 fecond abforption of variolous matter ads like common matter, 

 and produces only irritative fever in thofe children, whole confti- 

 tutions have already experienced the abforption of common mat- 

 ter ; and inflammation with a tendency to produce new abfcefles 

 in thofe, whofe confutations have not experienced the abforp- 

 tions of common matter. 



It is probable, that more certain proofs might have been found 

 to (hew, that common matter is infectious the firil time it is 

 abforbed, tending to produce fimilar abfcefles, but not the fec- 

 ond time of its abforption, if this fubject had been attended to. 



8 Thefe contagious difeafes are very numerous, as the 

 plague, fmall-pox, chicken pox, meafles, fcarlet-fever, pemphi- 

 gus, catarrh, chin-cough, venereal difeafe, itch, trichoma, tinea. 

 The infections material docs not feem to be diflblved by the air, 

 but only mixed with it perhaps in fine powder, which foon fub- 

 (ides ; fince many of thefe contagious can only be received by 

 aftual contact *, and others of them only at fmall diltances from 



the 



