THEORY OF FEVER. SUP. I. 16. 6, 



pofed to cold and damp air. In that cafe the link in catenation, 

 that is, the firft of the aflbciate train, is rendered torpid by de- 

 fect of excitement of its ufual quantity of the fenforial power of 

 ailbciation, and from there being no accumulation of the fenfori- 

 al power of irritation to increafe its aflbciability, and thus to con- 

 tribute to actuate it by overbalancing the defect of the excite- 

 ment of its aflbciation. 



Thus on riding long and ilowly on a cold and damp day, 

 the exhalation of the vapour, which is impinged on the fkin, as 

 the traveller proceeds, carries away his warmth fafter, than it is 

 generated within the fyftem ; and thus the capillaries of the fkin 

 have their actions fo much impaired after a time, that no accu- 

 mulation of the fenforial power of irritation occurs ; and then 

 the ftomach, the motions of which are catenated with thofe of 

 the capillaries, ceafes to aft from the deficient excitement of the 

 power of aflbciation , and indigeftion and flatulency fucceed, 

 inflead of the increafed digeftion and hunger, which occur, 

 when the cutaneous capillaries are expofed to a lefs degree of 

 cold, and for a fhorter time. In which latter fitwation the accu- 

 mulation of the fenforial power of irritation increafes by its fu- 

 perabundance the aflboiability of the fibres of the ftomach, fo 

 as to overbalance the defeat of the excitement of their aflbcia- 

 tion. 



6. The ftomach is affected fecondarily in fevers with ftrong 

 pulfe, as in thofe with weak pulfe it is affected primarily. To 

 illuftrate this doctrine I fhall relate the following cafe of Mr. 



Y- . He was a young man rather intemperate in the ufe 



of wine or beer, and was feized with a cold fit, and with a con- 

 fequent hot one with ftroug pulfe , on examining his hypochon- 

 drium an oblong tumour was diftinctly felt on the left fide of 

 the ftomach, which extended fix or eight inches downward, and 

 was believed to be a tumour of the fpleen, which thus occafioned 

 by its torpor the cold fit and confequent hot fit of fever with 

 ftrong pulfe. This fever continued, though with remiflions, 

 for two or three weeks ; and the patient repeatedly loft blood, 

 ufetl cathartics with calomel and fenna,and had frequent antimo- 

 nial and faline medicines. And after he was much weakened 

 by evacuations, '(the peruvian bark and fmall dofes of fteel re- 

 moved the fever, but the tumour remained many years during 

 the remainder of his life. 



In this cafe the tumour of the fpleen was occafioned by the 

 torpor of the abforbent veflels ; while the fecerning veflels con- 

 tinued fomewhat longer to pour their fluids into the cells of it. 

 Then the inactivity of this vifcus affected the whole fyftem with 

 torpor by the deficient excitement of the fenforial power of aflb-r 



ciation, 



