336 Medicine. [Chap. IV, 



Dr. Brown supposes the proximate cause of 

 fever to consist in debility, which may be either 

 direct or indirect, according to the nature of the 

 noxious powers previously applied to the system. 

 Hence he makes two divisions of fevers : 1st. Those 

 which depend on direct debihty, such as intermit- 

 tent fevers, typhus, &c. 2d. Those ^^'hich depend 

 on indirect debility, such as mahgnant fever, con- 

 fluent small-pox, plague, &c. Having therefore 

 assigned to fever its place in his series of descend- 

 ing excitement, he neglected particularly to in- 

 quire into its symptoms, or to enlarge on its treat- 

 ment. Thus debility, which was the first link in 

 the chain of Dr. Cullen, formed, according to the 

 theory of Dr. Brown, the essence of fever. He 

 altogether denied the existence of spasm ; he ridi- 

 culed reaction and the vis medicatrix natura; ; and 

 he wholly overlooked the phenomena of morbid 

 association and morbid heat. 



In a word, the basis of Dr. Brown's system 

 seems to be this ; in every state of the body, ex- 

 cept that of perfect health, there always exists 

 either too strong or too weak an excitement. 

 Hence there can be only two species of disease, 

 two methods of treatment, and two kinds of medi- 

 cinal agents. 



In framing his system. Brown seems to have 

 combined the irritability and sensibility of Haller 

 to form his excitability ; and to that eminent phy- 

 siologist he w^as probably more indebted for the 

 first hints of his doctrine, and especially for the 

 facts on which it is founded, than to any preceding 

 writer. His general principles are supposed more 

 correctlv to suit the condition of the animal eco- 



