%<)0 MifceUanea Curiofa. 



And after him Manilius (4) 



Sic fubmerfa frctris concharum & Carcere claufa, 

 Ad Luna mo turn variant animalia corpus. 



It is very well worth the pains to enquire what 

 [hare fuch an Alteration in the Weight and Pref- 

 fure of the Atrnofphere may have in the Crijes or 

 Changes of Acute Difeafes. The Ancients made 

 great Account of Critical Days, and regulated 

 their Practice according to the Expectation they 

 had from them ; This Part of Phyfick is grown 

 now into dilute, quite flighted, and even ridi- 

 culed ; and that I fuppofe chiefly for thefe two 

 reafons. In the firft place, becaufe the earlieft Ob- 

 fervations of this kind, which were drawn into 

 Rules being made in Eaftern Countries, when 

 thefe came to be applied to the Diftempers of 

 'Northern Regions, without allowance given for 

 the difference of the Climate, they were often- 

 times found not to anfwer. And fecondly, Fe- 

 vers of old were treated wkh few or no Medi- 

 cines, the Motions of Nature were carefully 

 watched, and no Violence offer'd to interrupt her 

 W ork. The Hiftories therefore of Crifes, tho' of 

 great life, and certainty under fuch Management 

 as this, were at length unavoidably fet afide and 

 loft ; when Acute Cafes came to be Cured, ac- 

 cording to this or that Hypothefis, not only by 

 Evacuations, but hot or cold Alteratives too ; 

 there being no longer any room for thote Laws 

 of Practice which iuppofed a regular and uniform 

 Progrefs of the Diftemper. 



Where- 



(a) Agronomic lib. 2, 



