MEDICINE. 
sels, and violent re action, tiie consequence 
of which is a rupture of them. 
Treatment. When an hemorrhage has 
taken place, and threatens to go to excess, 
we must endeavour to moderate or check 
the flow of blood, and prevent its return ; 
the first indication will be answered by a 
strict adherence to the antiphlogistic regi- 
men, therefore the removal of every cause 
of irritation is always necessaiy, the patient 
must be kept quiet and still, heat must be 
particularly guarded against, he should be 
freely exposed to the cold air, and should 
be allowed cold or iced water, or iced le- 
monade to drink ; every exertion of mind or 
body is to be avoided ; a vegetable diet will 
be most proper, unless the strength of the 
patient is greatly exhausted, in which case, 
mild broths, and the mildest kind of animal 
food may be allowed ; gentle carthartics, or 
laxative clysters, will be necessary to pre- 
vent any accumulation of the fieces, and 
blood-letting will be requisite, if there is a 
considerable degree of excitement; dry- 
cupping is frequently useful, and blisters 
may be employed with advantage : vomit- 
ing is a powerful remedy in diminishing 
the action of the heart and arteries; the 
digitalis, however, in our opinion, is a pre- 
ferable remedy ; refrigerents should be or- 
dered, as the sulphuric acid, nitre, cream 
of tartar, and the vegetable acids ; the first 
of which is, however, the most efficacious 
medicine. Internal and external astrin- 
gents must also be employed ; of the for- 
mer class are the vitriolic acid, alum, and 
the sugar of lead, which is by far the most 
powerful remedy, and may occasionally be 
exhibited with advantage in small doses, but 
the long-continued use of this remedy is 
often attended with dangerous conse- 
quences, and it should be given in combi- 
nation with the opium pill, or some tena- 
cious extract, in order to obviate its perni- 
cious effects on the stomach and bowels. 
The external astringents in most general 
use, are, cold applied suddenly, cold water 
in which salt has been recently dissolved, 
or powdered ice, or solutions of sugar of 
lead, alum, or white vitriol, &c. ; pressure 
is a powerful means of checking hemor- 
rhage, when it can be applied to the part ; 
when the hemorrhage is very profuse, it is 
improper to employ any means to prevent 
syncope, unless it partakes very much of 
the passive state, in which case it must be 
prevented by every possible means; the 
cinchona, with chalybeates, are indicated 
under the same circumstances. Wlien the 
phlogistic diathesis is taken off, either by 
the continuance of the haemorrhage, or by 
proper remedies, opiates may be given with 
advantage, and should subsultus tendinum, 
or convulsions supervene, they are par- 
ticularly serviceable, combined witli the 
camphor, castor, and musk. Tlie return 
of the hemorrhage is to be prevented 
by our counteracting or preventing a ple- 
thoric state of the system, by an abste- 
mious diet, or by taking food of a less nn- 
ti'itious quality, by exercise, gestation will 
be generally more safe than walking, by 
gentle cathartics, by cold bathing, bitters, 
and aromatics, which tend to prevent ple- 
thora, by increasing the tone of the vessels, 
and by studiously avoiding the remote 
causes ; tonics, which much increase the 
force of the circulation, although indicat- 
ed, are doubtful remedies, in particular, 
bark and chalybeates; astringents are in 
general more efficacious, particularly the 
sulphuric acid, alum, &c. If the plethoric 
state, notwithstanding our endeavours, 
should become considerable, and a return 
of the haemorrhage is threatened, blood-let- 
ting, both general and local, and blisters, 
will be proper when the vis a tergo is great, 
but when the habit is debilitated, it will be 
more advisable to employ only local blood- 
letting and blisters ; it will be proper to re- 
mark, that blood-letting should always pre- 
cede the employment of blisters. 
These directions will suffice for the treat- 
ment of haemorrhagies in general. Upon 
menorrhagia we shall enter more fully in 
the article Midwifery, and shall only in the 
present place offer a few words on phthisis. 
Phthisis-, or Pulmonary Consumption: 
upon the Cullenian system is made a spe- 
cies of haemoptysis. The impropriety of 
thus naming a disease from a single, and 
that only an occasional, symptom, must be 
obvious to every one. But our only duty 
at present is to describe the disease. This 
then is generally preceded by more or less 
of the following symptoms : a slight de- 
gree of fever, increased by the least exer- 
cise ; a dry burning heat of the palms of 
the hands, particularly towards evening, 
and of the soles of the feet towards morn- 
ing ; moisture of the eyes after sleep ; irre- 
gular flushings ; hoarseness ; a dry, trouble- 
some, and sonorous cough, occasioning 
slight pain or stitches, most commonly in 
the sides ; some degree of hardness of the 
pulse ; lacinating or fixed pains in the 
thorax ; head-ach ; frequent fainting fits ; 
some degree of dyspnoea, increased on 
using exercise ; an expectoration of a small 
quantity of thin, frothy matter ; impaired 
