484 THEORY OF FEVER. SUP. I. 12. 9. 



9. This doctrine of reverfe fympathy enables us to account 

 for that difficult problem, why in continued fevers the increafed 

 action of the cutaneous, cellular, and pulmonary capillaries pro- 

 ceeds without interruption or return of cold fit ; though per- 

 haps with fome exacerbations and remiflions ; and that during 

 a quarter, or half, or three quarters, or a whole lunation \ while 

 at. the fame time the pulfations of the heart and arteries are weak- 

 er than natural. 



To this fhould be added the direct fympathy, which exifts be- 

 tween the periftaltic motions of the fibres of the ftomach, and 

 the pulfations of the heart. And that the ftomach has become 

 torpid by the too great ftimulus of fome poifonous or contagious 

 matter ; and this very intricate idea of continued fever with fee- 

 ble pulfe is reduced to curious fimplicity. 



The direct fympathy of the ftomach and heart and arteries 

 not only appears from the itronger and flower pulfe of perfons 

 exhaufted by fatigue, after they have drunk a glafs of wine, and 

 eaten a few mouthfuls ; but appears alfo from the exhibition of 

 large dofes of digitalis ; when the patient labours under great 

 and inceffant efforts to vomit, at the fame time that the actions 

 of the abforbent fyftem are known to be much increafed by the 

 hafty abforption of the ferous fluid in anafarca, the pulfations of 

 the heart become flow and intermittent to an alarming degree. 

 See Clafs IV. 2. I. 17. and 18. 



10. It would aflift us much in the knowledge and cure of fe- 

 vers, if we could always determine, which part of the fyftem 

 was primarily affected , and whether the torpor of it was from 

 previous excefs or defect of ftimulus ; which the induftry of fu- 

 ture obfervers muft difcover. Thus if the ftomach be affected 

 primarily, and that by previous excefs of ftimulus, as when cer- 

 tain quantities of opium, or wine, or blue vitriol, or arfenic, are 

 fwallowed, it is fome time in recovering the quantity of fenforial 

 power previoufly exhaufted by excefs of ftimulus, before any 

 accumulation of it can occur. But if it be affected with torpor 

 fecondarily, by fympathy with fome diftant part j as with the 

 torpid capillaries of the {kin, that is by defective excitement of 

 the fenforial power of aflbciation ; or if it be affected by defect 

 of ftimulus of food or of heat ; it fooner acquires fo much ac- 

 cumulation of fenforial power, as to bt enabled to accommodate 

 itfelf to its leffened ftimulus by increafe of its irritability. 



Thus in the hemicrania the torpor generally commences in a 

 difeafed tooth, and the membranes about the temple, and alfo 

 thofe of the ftomach become torpid by direct fynchronous fym- 

 pathy ; and pain of the head, and ficknefs fupervene ; but no 

 fever or quicknefs of pulfe. In this cafe the torpor of the ftom- 

 ach 



