1058 APPARENT ANOMALIES EXPLAINED. 



thus vitiated, many days or weeks are required to 

 bring about their restoration to a healthy state ; 

 and when the blood has been once thoroughly 

 disorganized, the physician can do little more 

 than palliate the most urgent symptoms, which 

 are generally followed by death. 



Thus it is evident, that there is a progressive 

 deterioration of the blood, from the mildest catarrh 

 and quartan ague, to the most malignant forms 

 of synochus, typhus, yellow fever, and plague. 

 But why does the chill that ushers in the fevers 

 arising from concussion of the brain, compound 

 fractures, and other serious injuries, often remain 

 from sixteen to thirty-six hours ? And why does 

 the fever assume the continued form ? 



The most probable reason is, that before the 

 injury was received the blood was in a healthy 

 state ; so that, although respiration is sufficiently 

 diminished to cause a reduction of temperature, 

 weak pulse, and cold extremities, it is some time 

 before the nutritive process is sufficiently arrested 

 to produce fever. But as the vital properties of 

 the blood are necessarily impaired to a consider- 

 able extent during the stage of depression, it 

 cannot be restored to its former state for several 

 days, during which time the fever continues with- 

 out any intermission, and assumes the typhoid or 

 inflammatory type, according to the constitution 

 of the patient and the extent of the injury. It 

 must, however, be observed, that if, before re- 

 ceiving the injury, the patient has been exposed 



