AND ms DISEASES. 163 



there is great weakness, with a tendency to dropsical effu- 

 sion ; water accumulates in the chest ; the heart and its 

 coverings are seriously involved ; often the eyelids, lips, and 

 whole head are enormously distended with fluid. In other 

 cases the liver and bowels seem to suffer most, causing great 

 thirst, general uneasiness, costive bowels, and light-coloured 

 fceces, sometimes covered by slimy mucus, and rapid prostra- 

 tion. " When an unfavourable termination occurs, the 

 dulness increases to stupor, the extremities get colder, the 

 breathing more diificult and abdominal, the pulse quicker, 

 weaker, and more irregular, and death occurs from the tenth 

 to the twentieth day." 



Treatment. — The general principles laid down for the 

 treatment of common catarrh are applicable to the treatment 

 of influenza ; bleeding, purging, and de pleti on must be 

 avoided, as the debilitating_^tendency is great from jhe_first. 

 He should be placed in a loose-box, the body clothed, and 

 the legs bandaged. I If noticed while the shivering fit lasts, 

 one or two ounces of acetate of ammonia may be given with 

 advantage. | The bowels should be gently opened by a pint 

 of castor-oil and one or_two drachms of calome l, supple- 

 mented by injections of ^oap and water. When the rigour ' 

 has passed of^ and the fever runs high, tincture of aconite, 

 in doses of fifteen drops, should be given every two hours ; 

 he should be encnura^edjo^ri nk water holding sm all dosses, 

 of nitre in sol ution ; should he not dr ink_jt,^e may^^avej, 

 few mouthfuls oi_cold water every hour ; nothing is bet ter 

 for redudngJever^__He should have green food when pro- 

 curable, or a spare allowance of boiled barley, or oats, bran 

 mash, &o. When the throat is very sore, and the cough 

 troublesome, rub the throat well wit h tincture of c antharides 

 or the ammoniacal liniment, and g ive the following ba ll night 

 and morningj— ^ 



