MEDICINE. 
or a moderate quantity of spirits diluted 
with water, will be proper; the patient 
should wear flannel next to the skin for 
some time after the disease is gone off, and 
should take as much exercise as he can 
bear without fatigue, either on horse-back 
or in a carriage, carefully avoiding expo- 
sure to cold or moisture. The powder, or 
extract of nux vomica, is strongly recom- 
mended by Dr. Hufeland, in doses of from 
six to ten grains of the powder, three times 
a day; or one or two grains of the extract 
may be given every two or three hours ; 
three or four grains or more may be given 
in clysters ; children of one year old may 
take from one to two grains of the extract 
in the twenty-four hours ; it is necessary to 
observe, that the medicine is directed to be 
administered in some mucilaginous mixture. 
It is of consequence to warn the young 
practitioner, in the most forcible manner, 
against employing opiates at the beginning 
of this disease, unless a free evacuation of 
the bowels has been procured by cathartics, 
and the excitement much diminished, as 
they generally aggravate the disease ; and 
it will always be pernicious to give them 
without nauseating doses of emetics, while 
the griping pains remain ; the byoscyamus, 
if anodynes be deemed requisite, is prefer- 
able to opium, in consequence of its pos- 
sessing a gently laxative quality. 
CLASS II. NEUROSES. 
This class of diseases is characterised by 
an injury of the sense and motion, with an 
idiopathic pyrexy, or some local affection. 
It comprises the following orders : 
Order I. Comata, Stupors. 
Implying a diminution of voluntary motion 
with sleep, or insensibility, and including the 
following genera : 1. Apoplexia, apoplexy, 
which is either idiopathic or symptomatic, 
and is described thus ; almost all voluntary 
motion diminished, with sleep more or less 
profound ; the motion of the heart and ar- 
teries remaining. 2. Paralysis, palsy, only 
some of the voluntary motions diminished, 
frequently with sleep. These also are 
either idiopathica or symptomatic ; the spe- 
cies are asthenic, paralytic, convulsive, 
Of apoplexy, the symptoms are so well 
known, that they need hot to be repeated. 
Dr. Bailey remarks very justly, that “ when 
the patient is not cut off at once, but lives 
for some time after the attack, the hemi- 
plegia, which is almost constantly an effect 
of this disease, is upon the opposite side of 
the body from that of the brain, in which 
the effusion of blood has taken place : this, 
the learned author observes, would seem to 
shew, that the right side of the body de- 
rives its nervous influence from the left side 
of the brain, and the left side of the body, 
its nervous influence from the right side of 
the brain.” This disease is observed to make 
its attacks most frequently about the period 
of the equinoxes. 
The predisposing causes are, a declension 
from the meridian of life, a large head, a 
short neck, the sanguine or phlegmatic 
temperament, obesity, an indolent life, or 
one too much devoted to study, too long 
sleeping, high living, indulgence in spiritu- 
ous liquors, the gout, and the suppression 
or cessation of the hasmorrhoidal, or any 
other habitual hfEmorrhage or evacuation. 
The exciting causes are, violent exercise, 
as dancing after too great repletion of the 
stomach, a full and long continued inspi- 
ration, too strong exertions of the mind, 
every passion which agitates the human 
frame, great external heat, especially from 
a crowded room, intemperance, warm bath- 
ing, crudities in the primae vi®, violent 
emetics, the spring season, rapid alternations 
of heat and cold, too great indulgence in 
smoking tobacco, long stooping with the 
bead down, tight ligatures about the neck, 
over distention of the blood vessels of the 
brain or its membranes, an effusion or ex- 
travasation of blood or serum into the sub- 
stance of the brain or its ventricles, frac- 
tures of the scull or depression of it, caus- 
ing an effusion of blood upon the brain or 
its meninges, and tumors within the cra- 
nium. The proximate cause is supposed to 
be whatever interrupts the motion of the 
nervous power from the brain to the mus- 
cles of voluntary motion. Difficulty of 
swallowing, apd the regurgitation of the 
drink througb the nostrils, great difficulty 
of breathing, and foaming at the mouth, 
are symptoms of the most imminent dan- 
ger, but the prognosis may be generally 
collected from the violence of the attack, 
profoundness of the sleep, stertorous breath- 
ing and the degree of the affection of the re- 
spiration, and of the powers of sen.se and of 
motion : the first attack of this disease is 
not commonly fatal, particularly if the pa- 
tient be not cut oft’ in the course of the first 
week; it frequently terminates favourably 
either by diarrhoea, haeniorrhage, return of 
the h»morrhoidal, or any other habitual 
discharge, and sometimes by the appearance 
of fever. 
