bup. 1. 9. 2. THEORY OF FEVER. 473 



fame manner as a cold Ikin on going into the cold bath induces 

 difficulty of breathing. Or the ftomach may become affected 

 with torpor by its fympathy with the lungs, as in the experi- 

 ments of Mr. Watt with hydrocarbonate gas j a few refpira- 

 tions of which induced ficknefs, and even fyncope. When the 

 ftomach or Ikin is thus affected fecondarily by aflbciation, an 

 accumulation of fenforial power occurs much fooner, than when 

 thefe parts become torpid in confequence of previous excefs of 

 ftimulus ; and hence they fooner recover their accuftomed ac- 

 tion, and the fever ceafes. The particles of contagious matter 

 thus received by refpiration fomewhat refemble in their effects 

 the acid gales from burning fulphur, or from charcoal ; which, 

 if they do not inftantly deftroy, induce a fever, and the patient 

 flowly recovers. 



2- I was fome years ago Hooping down to look, which way 

 the water oozed from a morafs, as a labourer opened it with a 

 fpade, to detect the fource of the fpring, and inhaled a vapour, 

 which occafioned an inftant fenfe of fuffbcation. Immediately 

 recoiling I believe I inhaled it but once ; yet a few hours after- 

 wards in the cool of the evening, when I returned home rather 

 fatigued and hungry, a fhivering and cold fit occurred, which 

 was followed by a hot one ; and the whole difeafe began an4 

 terminated in about twelve hours without return. In this cafe 

 the power of fear, or of imagination, was not concerned j as I 

 neither thought of the bad air of a morafs before I perceived it j 

 nor expected a fever-fit, till it occurred. 



In this cafe the torpor commenced in the lungs, and after a 

 few hours, by the addition of fatigue, and cold, and hunger, 

 was propagated by direct fympathy to the reft of the fyitem. 

 An orgafm or increafed action of the whole fyftem was then 

 induced by the accumulation of fenforial power of irritation in 

 the lungs, and of aflbciation in the other organs ; and when 

 thefe fubfided, the difeafe ceafed. It may be afked, could a tor- 

 por of the capillaries of the air-vefTels of the lungs be fo fud- 

 denly produced by great ftimulation ? It appears probable, that 

 it might, becaufe great exertion of irritative motions may be in- 

 ftantly produced without our perceiving them ; that is, without 

 their being attended by fenfation, both in the lungs and ftom- 

 ach ; and the organs may become torpid by the great expendi- 

 ture of the fenforial power of itritation in an inftant of time 5 

 as paralyfis frequently inftantly follows too great an exertion of 

 voluntary power. 



3. When the capillaries of the lungs aft too violently, as in 

 fome continued fevers ; which is known by the heat of the 

 breath, and by ihc drynefs of the tongue, efpecially of the mid- 



VOL. II. N N n die 



