424 DISEASES OF IRRITATION. SECT. XXXII. 3 



to the obftruclion of the circulating fluid by a fpafm 

 of the cutaneous veffels, and by a confequent ac- 

 cumulation of blood in the lungs, occafioned by 

 the preflure as well as by the coldnefs of the water. 

 This is not a fatisfaclory account of this curious 

 phenomenon, fince at this time the whole circula- 

 tion is lefs, as appears from the fmallnefs of the 

 pulfe and coldnefs of the breath ; which mew that 

 lefs blood pafies through the lungs in a given time ;' 

 the fame' laborious breathing immediately occurs 

 when the paienefs of the fkin is produced by fear,- 

 wheie no external cold or preflure are applied. 



The minute veflels of the bronchia, through 

 which the blood pafies from the arterial to the venal 

 fyftem, and which correfpond with the cutaneous 

 capillaries, have frequently been expofed to cold 

 air, and become quiefcent along with thofe of the 

 fkin ; and hence their motions are fo aflbciated 

 together, that when one is aife6led either with qui- 

 efcence or exertion, the other fympathizes with it, 

 according to the laws of irritative aflbciation. See 

 Seel:. XXVIT. i. on haemorrhages. 



Befides the quiefcence of the minute veflels of 

 the lungs, there are many other fyftems of veflels 

 which become torpid from their irritative aflbcia- 

 tions with thofe of the fkin, as the abforbents of 

 the bladder and interlines ; whence an evacuation 

 of pale urine occurs, when the naked fkin is ex- 

 pofed only to the coldnefs of the atmofphere ; and 

 fprinkling the naked body with cold water is known 

 to remove even pertinacious conitipation of the 

 bowels. From the quiefcence of fuch extenfive 

 fyftems of veflels as the glands and capillaries of 

 the ikin, and the minute veflels of the lungs, with 

 their various abforbent feries of veflels, a great ac- 

 cumulation of fenforial powers is occafioned; part 

 of which is again expended in the increafed exer- 

 tion of all thefe veflels, with an uriiverfal glow of 



heat 



