456 DISEASES OF SENSATION. SET. XXXIII. 2, 



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 fe> 

 condary fever of the confluent fmall-pox ; there is 

 a great ablbrption of variolous matter, a very minute 

 part of which would give the genuine fmall-pox to 

 another peribnj but here it only Simulates the fyf- 

 tem into common fever ; like that which common 

 pus, or any other acrid material might occalion. 



7. In the pulmonary confumption, where com- 

 mon matter is daily abforbed, an irritative fever 

 only, without new inflammation, is generally pro- 

 duced ; which is terminated like other irritative 

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

 appear, that this abforbed matter always ads as a 

 contagious material producing frefh inflammation or 

 new abfcefles. Though there is reafon to believe* 

 that the firft time any common matter is abforbed, 

 it has this eifecl, but not the fecond time, like the 

 variolous matter above mentioned. 



This accounts for the opinion, that the pulmo- 

 nary confumption is fometirnes infectious, which 

 opinion was held by the ancients, and continues in 

 Italy at prefent ; and I have myfelf feen three or 

 four inftances, where a hulbaud 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 or* 

 only one of them. This alfo accounts for the ab- 

 fcefles in various parts of the body, that are fome* 

 times produced after the inoculated fmall-pox is 

 terminated; for this fecond abforp'ion of variolous 

 matter afts like common matter, and produces only 

 irritative fever in thofe children, whofe conftituti- 

 ons have already experienced the abforption of com- 

 mon matter ; and inflammation with a tendency to 

 produce new abfcefles in thofe, whofe conftitutions 



have 





