xlvi INTRODUCTION. 



yeHowish or brown, and in the last stage covered with a 

 black crust ; in some cases the face was flushed, though 

 frequently pale, and the features rather shrunk. The skin 

 in some cases dry and pungent, with a hard and frequent 

 pulse ; in others the pulse below the natural standard, with 

 a clammy perspiration on the surfiice. In several a yellow 

 suffusion took place from the third to the sixth or seventh 

 day, in one case livid blotches appeared on the wrists and 

 ankles. The delirium was most commonly of the low 

 kind, with great aversion from medicine. Singultus, a 

 common and distressing symptom. The fatal termination 

 in some, happened as early as the third or fourth, but in 

 others, was protracted even to the twentieth day. With 

 regard to the treatment, 1 shall here only observe, that 

 bleeding was particularly unsuccessful. Cathartics were 

 of the greatest utility ; and calomel, so administered as 

 speedily to induce copious salivation, generally procured 

 a remission of all the violent symptoms ; when I found it 

 immediately necessary to give bark and wine." 



From the accounts of the missions to Congo by Carli, 

 MeroUa, and others, it would appear, that bleeding copi- 

 ously is the common remedy practised by the negroes, in 

 the fevers of the country which are brought on by fatigue, 

 and exposure to the weather. Carli mentions his havino- 

 been bled no less than ninety seven-times, besides frequent 

 and copious discharges of blood from the nose ; and from 

 the loss of such enormous quantities, he suffers himself to 

 be persuaded, that all the water he drank was turned into 

 blood. Of the fourteen missionaries, who proceeded to 

 the court of Zingha, Queen of Matamba, every one was 

 seized with the fever, in consequence of the fatigue of 



