ANIMAL HEAT. 123 



" A remarkable case fell under my observa- 

 tion of a gentleman who was seized with an 

 apoplectic fit. He lay insensible in bed, covered 

 with the blankets. I found his whole body be- 

 come extremely cold in every part, and continue 

 so for some time, and in a short time become ex- 

 tremely hot. While this was going on for several 

 hours alternately, there was no sensible alteration 

 either in the pulse or in the breathing. 



" A man fell from his horse, and pitched on 

 his head, which produced all the symptoms of a 

 violent injury. There was concussion of the 

 brain, and perhaps extravasation of blood, but 

 no fracture could be seen. The pulse was at 

 first 120, but came down to 100, and was strong, 

 full, and rather hard. He was very hot in the 

 skin, but breathed remarkably slow, only one 

 half of the common frequency. His breathing, 

 pulse, and heat, therefore, did not correspond 

 with this theory of heat. 



" February, 1781. A boy, about three years 

 old, appeared not quite so well as common, being 

 attacked with a kind of shortness of breathing in 

 the night. It had become exceedingly oppressed 

 about five o'clock on Sunday morning, so diffi- 

 cult that he appeared dying for want of breath. 

 In this state he lay till two o'clock, when 

 I saw him. He was breathing so slowly, that 

 I thought that every breath would be his last 

 about 2^ or less inspirations in a minute. 

 (The common rate of breathing in such a boy is 

 about 30 inspirations in a minute, and about 



