Essay on ihe. RemiUent and Intermittent Diseases. 343 



the sequel of improper treatment, for when any nerve which was 

 the servant to a muscle loses its power, from the effect of intermit- 

 tent or of neuralgia, combined with reducing remedies, the power of 

 motion also is destroyed, and that is palsy. It may happen without 

 disturbing the circulation in that part, and it is thus that partial and 

 even very extensive palsy takes place without destroying life. 



A pained or disturbed condition of a point or portion of a nerve 

 or nerves (" Neuralgia ") is in the opinion of the author, often mis- 

 taken for a rush of blood to the head, by no means owing to the cir- 

 culations. To illustrate the consequences of bleeding under this 

 mistake, he cites " the case of a military surgeon who was tormen- 

 ted with headache during the paroxysms, and successive cupping and 

 blood letting brought on fatuity." Another instance, under his own 

 eye, though not under his care, was that of a gentleman of sedentary 

 and studious habits, whose physician prescribed blood letting for 

 severe pain in the head. On the following day the headache in- 

 creased with confusion of thought and great weakness. A second 

 blood letting then took place, and he became delirious in the night. 

 It was then determined by his physicians that " there was inflamma- 

 tion of the brain, and in addition to blisters, shaving the head, and 

 ice, another blood letting was ordered and practised." The deliri- 

 um increased, the pulse became feeble, the practice was presevered 

 in, and the following day the patient died. 



As a strongly marked instance of the misapplied use of this reme- 

 dy, he relates the case of " a young man of twenty five in the upper 

 ranks of life who had been subject to repeated attacks of quotidian 

 intermittent in several successive years. In a subsequent and sim- 

 ilar attack during my absence, his physician prescribed blood letting 

 within the first days of the disease. No very obvious consequence 

 followed the first operation, but on the second it was remarked that 

 he complained less than he had done, which gave the temptation to 

 a third trial, immediately after which he fell into a state little short 

 of idiotism, while the fever became attended with many anomalous 

 symptoms. Thus I found him just in time to prevent a fourth bleed- 

 ing which would probably have terminated as I have more than once 

 seen in palsy, epilepsy or death. The disease was cured in the usu- 

 al way by bark, but the debility of the mind was not removed for six 

 months while I have reason to suspect it may prove much more 

 durable." 



