[ 5 8 3 ] 
And certainly leather, which, in its hardefi and dried: 
date, bears a near relemblance to the difeas’d fkin of 
this young woman, does not lofe its original foftnefs; 
but either by being limply depriv’d of thofe juices, 
which moiften’d its component parts, or elfe by the 
coagulation and infpiffation of fome of the fluids 
lodged in the veffels; which lad circumdance per- 
haps likewife contributed its fhare to the hardnefs of 
the fkin in the prefent cafe. 
On thefe confiderations it was thought fit to put 
the patient into a bath of warm milk and water, and 
to diredt her to day in it a confiderable fpace of time, 
that the warmth and moidure might relax and foften 
the hardnefs of her fkin : But fhe could not bear to 
continue in the bath, on account of the great oppref- 
fion and anxiety, which it occafion’d,and becaufe the 
troublefome conftridtion of her fkin was much in- 
creas’d by it. She was therefore put to bed, and well 
cover’d with cloaths, in hopes to promote a fweat ; 
but all was in vain ; for her fkin remain’d as hard 
and dry as before. However, this treatment was re- 
peated for fix days; but, on going into the bath for 
the feventh time, fhe was feiz’d with convulfions in 
the mufcles of her legs and arms. This was very un- 
expected, and made it neceffary to difcontinue this 
method of cure. But as it was imagin’d, that it was 
the weight and preffure of the water, which gave her 
fo much uneafinefs, a method was thought on, to 
avoid this inconvenience, and, at the fame time, to 
procure for the patient the benefit, that might arife 
from the relaxation and foftening of the fkin and 
pores by the abforption of an external humidity, 
which was judged to be neceffary to the cure. Now 
