MEDICINE. 
bath, are the remedies most generally em- 
ployed ; blisters and mustard cataplasms 
should also be applied to the lower extre- 
mities : if the swelling of the face subsides 
suddenly, and is not succeeded by the 
swelling of the hands, blisters are recom- 
mended to be applied to the wrists and 
fore-arms ; anointing great part of the body 
with mercurial ointment, or applying a large 
mercurial plaster to the scrobiculus cordis 
under the same circumstances, is often at- 
tended with good effects ; if the salivation 
suddenly cease, without any swelling of the 
hands, blisters should be applied to the 
wrists, and small doses of ipecacuanha 
should be administered; should tliere be a 
suppression of urine, the patient should be 
exposed to a current of cool air; if this 
does not succeed, and he is not in a very 
debilitated state, and the heat of the body 
is steadily above the natural degree, it will 
be proper to dash cold water upon the legs ; 
and perhaps to extend the affusion over tire 
whole surface. 
Rubeola. Measles. This disease will be 
distinguished from the other exanthemata, 
by the dry, hard cough, hoarseness, sneez- 
ing, watering of the eyes, coryza, dyspnoea, 
and great drowsiness, or coma. From ca- 
tarrh, the greater violence of the febrile 
symptoms, the greater affection of the eyes, 
and many of the symptoms accompanying 
the eruptive fever of measles, particulurly 
the coma, will afford a ready diagnosis be- 
tween the two diseases. 
The remedies indicated in the cure of 
this disease are such as will obviate, or re- 
move the morbid excitement; blood-letting 
will therefore be requisite in proportion to 
the violence of the fever, cough, and dysp- 
ntea, if the nature of the prevailing epide- 
mic does not contra-indicate ; but as tlie 
danger, at the commencement of the com- 
plaint, is for the most part inconsiderable, 
that powerful remedy may, unless the ex- 
citement is very great, and threatens im- 
mediate danger, or much subsequent debi- 
lity, generally be reserved till after the pe- 
riod of desquamation, which is often suc- 
ceeded by a more dangerous train of symp- 
toms than any that have preceded ; gentle 
cathartics are indispensably requisite in all 
cases, such as phosphate of soda, Epsom 
salts, infusion of senna, &c. ; analogy is, 
however, greatly in favour of calomel ; te- 
pid mucilaginous diluents should be freely 
allowed ; it will be adviseable to excite a 
gentle diaphoresis by means of the saline 
draughts, with small doses of tartarised 
antimony ; the cough will be alleviated, and 
expectoration promoted by a solution of 
spermaceti, gum arabic, or of the pulvis tra- 
gacanthae compositus, or the decoctum hor- 
dei compositum may be employed in consi- 
derable quantities ; inhaling the vapour of 
hot water, the application of oil round the 
chest, and the pediluvium, or warm bath, 
will be found useful auxiliaries : should the 
cough and dyspnoea prove urgent, attended 
with pyrexia, or should they remain after 
the desquamation, blood letting, either ge- 
neral or local, should be employed: we 
must, however, be cautious in reducing the 
strength of the patient; small blisters 
should be applied in succession about the 
thorax ; the apartment in which the patient 
continues should be kept cool ; he must 
not be exposed to cold air so freely as in 
the small-pox, as much disorder may be 
produced in the system, if, from such expo- 
sure, retrocession of the eruption should 
take place ; the degree of temperature 
should therefore in a great measure be re- 
gulated by the patient’s feelings : when the 
excitement is subdued by evacuations, and 
the cough remains the only troublesome 
symptom, opiates may then be given with 
great advantage ; and at this period of the 
disease, a change of air will be of the most 
essential service. As a morbid tendency 
remains for some time after this complaint, 
it will be not only advisable, but indispen- 
sably necessary, to administer gentle ca- 
thartics at proper intervals. If symptoms 
of pneumonia should supervene after the 
desquamation, blood-letting, both general 
and local, if the strength of the patient will 
admit of it, blisters and the other remedies, 
which are mentioned when treating of that 
inflammation, must be diligently employed : 
when a diarrhoea remains troublesome, after 
the desquamation has taken place, it must 
not be checked too hastily by the employ- 
ment of astringents and ojjiates, on account 
of the tendency to inflammatory complaints 
which remains after the measles : the cas- 
carilla, or columba may, however, be em- 
ployed in small doses, before we have re- 
course to more powerful astringents ; blood- 
letting will generally remove both the diar- 
rhoea and cough ; it will, therefore, be ad- 
visable to endeavour to check the diarrhoea 
by that evacuation, rather than employ 
astringents in the first instance. The pu- 
trid measles appeared in London in 167^, 
1763, and 1768, and have appeared occa- 
sionally since : in this variety all the symp- 
toms are more violent, accompanied witli 
