262 ' On Chronic Debility 



surd management. Such a course of life will assuredly 

 induce universal debility, a sickly appetite, and extreme 

 weakness of the stomach and intestines. Consequent up- 

 on this, comes on daily vomiting after every meal ; a se- 

 ries of morbid sympathies take place between the stom- 

 ach and uterus ; and unless vigorous measures are now 

 taken, a quick consumption will, in many instances, speed- 

 ily ensue. The colourless, half formed, inanimate being 

 will, like a tender plant reared in a hot-house, at the sting 

 of the first insect, wither and die. 



X. Pain IN THE Lumbar Region. Ofthislhave 

 known but one instance. The pain was in the left lum- 

 bar region, attended with heat, not constant, but always 

 present and troublesome Avhen the stomach was conside- 

 rably acid, and the heat always produced by the same 

 cause. This pain was not absolutely confined to the 

 same place, but was sometimes in the anterior, some- 

 times in the posterior, sometimes in the superior, and at 

 other times in the inferior, but generally about the cen- 

 tral parts of the lumbar region. It was sometimes at- 

 tended with soreness or tenderness of the integuments. 

 It is now about two years since it began. It increased 

 for a time, and is now gradually diminishing, without 

 any other apparent cause, than that the digestion of the 

 patient is improving. A distinguished literary gentleman 

 who was present when this was read to the Academy, 

 has since informed me, that he was some years ago af- 

 flicted with severe Chronic Debility of the Stomach, for 

 about two years, when his health began to improve, and 

 continued mending till he entirely recovered ; that dur- 

 ing the prevalence of this disease, he had a complaint in 

 the left lumbar region, almost exactly similar to the fore- 

 going, and that he now recollected that it came on and 

 went off, with the disease in his stomach, though it had 

 ne^'er before occurred to him, that it was owing to that 

 cause. 



XI. An Irregular Pulse, &c. I have never known 

 a good pulse, in a person severely afflicted with the dis- 

 ease under consideration. It is usually more frequent, 

 feebler, and smaller,- than in health. It is oi'ten irregu- 

 lar both as to force and time, sometimes beating three or 



