508 FRANCIS' OASES OF MORBID ANATOMY. 



visited for that purpose, on the morning above mentioned, and under 

 ihe circumstances already noticed. 



He immediately lost blood from the arm, to the amount of sixteen 

 ounces, and a large blister was applied to his chest : the epispastic 

 produced its expected effects, and finding him somewhat relieved, a 

 cathartic, composed of the submur. hydrarg. and pulv. convolv. jalap, 

 in syrup, was administered, and the antiphlogistic treatment pursued for 

 several days. As he could now swallow nourishment with more ease 

 than for some time previous, he determined upon a temporary abandon- 

 ment of his professional business, and to retire, for a few weeks, into 

 the country. Thither he went, but without benefit ; his primary 

 disease, instead of being mitigated, was increased in its severity, and to 

 a degree that he was induced to subsist almost exclusively upon food of 

 a fluid consistence, as beef and veal broth, oatmeal gruel, panada, &c. 

 He, however, could swallow with much greater ease at one time than at 

 another. In this condition he returned to this city about the close of 

 September. Beside the difficulty of swallowing, he now complained of 

 pain under the region of the scrobiculus cordis, and of considerable 

 irritation and soreness of the chest, doubtless the effect of exposure to 

 sudden changes of temperature, during his excursion in the country. 



On the 1st of October he was again bled freely ; blistering was 

 again had recourse to, and active purgatives prescribed. He consider- 

 ed himself as deriving but little advantage from this mode of practice : 

 whenever he omitted thoroughly to masticate his food, he was liable to 

 returns of the spasms in attempting to get solid nourishment into the 

 stomach ; and water, whether hot or cold, could seldom be taken freely 

 with impunity. The patient's constitution having become materially 

 enfeebled by the continuance of his disease, and the active means used 

 for its removal, blood letting, blisters, and other depleting remedies, 

 not answering the indications of antispasmodics, it was determined 



J 



