PUR 



quor into ufc in dyeing, the fi(h has been neglcfted, and its 

 juice never attempted to be brought into ufe. 



PuRPLE-^For/, iu Botany, a name given to feveral fpeciea 

 of trefoil. 



PURPRESTURE, in our yincient Laiu Booh. Sec 



POURPRESTURE. 



PURPRISUM, of the French /our/nV, denotes a cloie, 

 or inclofure : alfo the whole compafs or extent of a manor 

 or place. 



•' Donavi eis meum purprifum dc Kirkeham, & domes 

 meas, & molcndinum, & prata, &c." Charta Walteri Efpec. 

 Priorat de Kirkeham. 



PURPURA, Persia.-*, the fame v/ith the Perfian flicll, 

 a fpecies of dohum. 



Purpura, \w Medicine, in the nomenclature of cutaneous 

 difeafes propofed by Dr. Willan, iignifies an eruption of 

 purple fpecks and patches, that is oi petechia, ecchymomata, 

 and vibices, accompanied with general debility, but not always 

 with fever. 



Under this limitation, the purpura is fynonimous with the 

 " petechia fine febre" of fome medical writers, (fee Rom- 

 bergius, Ephem. Natur. Curiof. dec. iii. ann. 9 and 10, 

 obff 108 ; and Dr. Graaf, Did". Inaug. de Petcchiis Hne 

 Febre, Gott. 1775); with the " himorrhxa petechialis" 

 (fee Dr. Adair, Diff. Inaug. Edin. 1789, and Dr. Bateman, 

 Dili. Tnaug. ibid. 1801); with the " land-fcurvy," &c. 

 of others. Riverius, Diemerbroeck, Sauvages, Cuilon, and 

 one or two others, appropriated the terra purpura in like 

 manner to petechial fpots only, and rightly excluded from 

 this appellation all other eruptions of a character effentially 

 different. 



In thus limiting the acceptation of the term, however, it 

 is proper to mention, that in the writings of many phy- 

 ficians it is applied to various other eruptive difeafes, which 

 have no affinity with petechial blotches, and very little with 

 each other. Thus, under the name of purpura, the red- 

 gum, or ftrophulus, is defcribed by Etmuller, — the fcarlet 

 fever by Schultz and Juncker, — the meafles by HafenrefFer 

 and Morton, — the nettle-ra(h, mihary veficles, and lichen, 

 by Hoffmann and others. See Willan on Cutan. Dif. 

 p. 452. 



The purpura occur* under various degrees of violence, 

 which induced Dr. Willan to make two fpecies, which he de- 

 nominated_//m/>/f.v and httmorrhagica, according as the eruption 

 occurred alone, or with difcharges of blood. It is impoffible, 

 however, to draw fo diftindl a line, where nature prefents no 

 clear difference. We can only flate that, iu the milder de- 

 grees, there is an eruption of petechia; only, chiefly appear- 

 ing on the extremities and breaft, and feldom afFefting the 

 face. The complexion is generally pallid or fallow, and 

 there is a confiderable degree of debility and languor, and 

 fometimcs pains in the limbs. 



In the more fevere cafes of the difeafe, the failure of 

 ftreugth is coufiderably greater, and often precedes, for 

 fome time, the appearance of the eruption. The fpots 

 commonly appear firfl on the legs, where they are ufually 

 the largeft and molt numerous, and are often accompanied 

 with anafarcous fwelhngs. When they firfl appear, they 

 are of a bright red hue, but they gradually become purple 

 or livid, and when about to diiappear, they change to a 

 brown or yellowifh hue ; fo that in the progrefs of the 

 difeafe, as the fpots appear and fade in fucccflion, the flcm 

 prefents a confiderabiy variegated appearance. In the more 

 fevere forms, the petechia; are mlrrniixed with ecchymofes and 

 vibices, or livid patches and ftripes, refembling the effefts 

 of a bruife, or of the flrokes of a whip, lii this ftate, 

 fomctimes, when thtfe patches do not appear fpontaneoufly, 



PUR 



the gentled preflure on the fkin, fucli as is applied in feeling; 

 the pulfe, will produce a purple blotch, like that wliich 

 follows a fevere blow. 



When the difeafe is ftill more fevere, in addition to thefe 

 effufioHs of blood under the cuticle, confiderable difcharges 

 of blood take place from thofe parts which are defended by 

 a very delicate cuticle ; wlieiice thefe haemorrhages originate 

 particularly from the internal paffages and organs, and are 

 occafionally very profufe, endangering, and occafionally 

 deftroying life. Molt frequently, however, the bleeding is 

 flow, and" in fmall quantity, fometimes almofl a conftant 

 oozing, and fometimes returning at intervals. Thefe hae- 

 morrhages take place from the gums, noltrils, throat, the 

 infide of the cheeks, the tongue, and lips ; fometimes from 

 the lining membrane of the eye-hds, the urethra, and the 

 external ear ; and often from tiie internal cavities, the lungs, 

 ftomach, bowels, kidnies, uterus, and bladder. There is 

 great variety, however, in the periods of the difeafe at which 

 the hemorrhages commence and ceafe, and as to the pro- 

 portion which they bear to the cutaneous efHorefcence. 



This fmgular difeafe occafionally appears fuddenly, in the 

 midft of good health, attacking during the night. Tt is 

 always accompanied by great feeblenefs and depreflion of 

 fpirits ; and often by pains in the cheil, loins, or abdomen, 

 by irregularity of bowels, or by cough ; and the pulfe is 

 fometimes flightly quickened and very feeble, as in a mo- 

 derate hcftic. But in fome cafes tliefe funftions are not 

 perceptibly difturbed. The duration of the difeafe is 

 equally uncertain : ip fome iiiflances it has terminated in 

 a few days, while in others it has continued not only many 

 months, but years. When it terminates fatally, it is com- 

 monly in confequence of a copious hemorrhage, either fud- 

 denly from fome important organ, or more (lowly from 

 feveral parts at the fame time. 



The caufes of this difeafe are not clearly afcertained, nor 

 its pathology well underftood. It occurs at every period 

 of life, and in both fexes ; but mod frequently in women, 

 and in boys before the age of puberty, particularly in thofe 

 who are of a delicate habit, who live in clofe and crowded 

 fituations, and on poor diet, or are employed in fedentary 

 occupations, and fubjeft to grief, anxiety, fatigue, and want 

 of fleep. It has hkewife attacked thofe who are left in a 

 flate of debihty by previous acute and chronic difeafes, as 

 after meafles or fmall-pox, or during confinement in the 

 puerperal flate, or after a violent falivation from mercury. 

 On the other hand, however, the difeafe appears occafion- 

 ally in its roofl fevere and fatal form, where none of 

 thefe circumftances had previoufly exilted : for inftance, in 

 young perions living in the country, and fufiering no priva- 

 tion of any of the comforts of life, and previoufly enjoying 

 good health. This fadl tends greatly to obfcure the pa- 

 tJiology of the difeafe : for it renders the operation of 

 thefe alleged caufes extremely queflionable , and feems to 

 eftablifli an effential difference between purpura and fcurvy, 

 in the origin and natiu-e of the morbid aftions which con- 

 flitute the difeafe. In fcurvy (by which we mean the fcor- 

 butus, or true fcurvy, formerly prevalent among feamen in 

 long voyages, and among people in befieged towns, and 

 other fituations, when living upon putrid, falted, dried, or 

 otherwife indigeflible food, yielding imperfect nutriment,) 

 the reflcration of the proper nourifhment, with the ufe of 

 frefh vegetables and acids, invariably removes the fymp- 

 toms, and they never commence where fuch diet can be ob- 

 tained : while, in many cafes of purpura, this diet has been 

 taken abundantly, w-ithout the fmailefl alleviation of the 

 complaint, and the difeafe has come on, where there had 

 been no defisisncy. " On the other hand, the rapidity of 

 01 the 



