MEDICINE. 
Drder I. Mircoris. Deceines. 
Tliis order includes the following genera; 
1. Tabes ; leanness, debility, hectic py- 
rexy. Three species; purulent, scrophu- 
lous, and from poison taken internally. 2. 
Atrophy j differing from tabes in being 
without hectic pyrexy. The species are 
from too great evacuation, from a defi- 
ciency^ of nourishment, from corrupted nou- 
rishment, from decay of the nutritive or- 
gans. 
In tabes and atrophy the cure may best 
be effected by the removal of the remote 
rtauses, or the idiopathic diseases on which 
they depend ; the tabes mesenterica is 
soinetimes an idiopathic disease, in which 
there is great debility, emaciation, and pale- 
ness ; there is, at the same time, eidarge- 
iiient of the head and abdomen ; it will 
be effectually removed by small doses of 
<-alomel, or of the nutrias hydrargyri, the 
tioses must not be so large as to excite 
catharsis; the mercury is intended only 
to act as an alterative ; the solutio muriatis 
calcis is deserving of an unbiassed trial; 
the cure will be accelerated if we, at the 
same time, employ chalybeates, combined 
with a neutral salt, with fossile alkali, or 
with rhubarb, in such doses as to act mo- 
derately upon the bowels; the employment 
of a tepid salt-water bath, or washing tlie 
patient with a solution of salt, night and 
morning, will also be of service. 
Order II. Intumescentia. Morbid 
Swellings. 
An external tumour of the whole or greater 
part of the body. These are adipose, fla- 
tulent, or aqueous, forming three distinct 
sections. Of the first is, 1. Polysarcia, 
corpulency. Of the second are, 2. Pneu- 
matosis, a tense elastic swelling of the body, 
crackling under the hand. 3. Tympanites, 
a tense, elastic, sonorous swelling of the 
abdomen, costiveness, a decay of tlie other 
parts. Two species ; intestinal, and abdo- 
minal. 4. Physometra, a slight elastic 
swelling in the epigastrium, having the figure 
and situation of the uterus. Under the 
third section we have, 5. Anasarca, a soft 
inelastic swelling of the whole body, or 
some part of it ; arising from a multitude 
of causes, and hence admitting of a multi- 
tude of species. 6. Hydrocephalus, a soft 
inelastic swelling of the head, with the 
sutures of the cranium opened. T. Hydro- 
raeliitis, a soft slender tumour above the 
vertebr® of me loins ; the vertebrae gapinig 
from each other ; formerly denominated 
spina bifida. 8. Hydrothorax, dropsy of 
the chest ; dyspnoea ; paleness of the face ; 
oedematous swellings of the feet; scanty 
urine ; lying down difficult ; a sudden and 
spontaneous waking out of sleep, with pal- 
pitation ; water fluctuating in the chest. 
9. Ascites, a tense, scarcely elastic, but 
fluctuating swelling of the abdomen. Two 
species ; one A. abdominalis, extending over 
the whole abdomen, with an equality of 
tumour, and a fluctuation sufficiently evi- 
dent, arising from an obstruction of tlie 
viscera, from debility, or from thinness of 
the blood ; the other, A. saccatus, confined 
in a bag, the swelling more partial, and the 
fluctuation less evident. 10. Hydrometra, 
dropsy of the womb, a swelling of the 
female epigastrium, gradually increasing, 
preserving the shape of the uterus, yielding 
to pressure, and fluctuating, without ischury 
or pregnancy. 11. Hydrocele, swelling of 
the scrotum, not painful, increasing by de- 
grees, soft, fluctuating, and pellucid. 12. 
Physconia, a swelling chiefly occupying a 
certain part of the abdomen, and neither 
sonorous nor fluctuating. The species are 
very numerous, and named from the part 
the disease occupies, whence we have phys- 
conias hepatic, splenic, venal uterine, &c. 
13. Rachitis, rickets, a large head, swelling 
most in the fore-part, the ribs depressed, 
abdomen swelled, with a decay of the other 
parts. It varies merely in being simple, or 
conjoined with other diseases. 
From this list it will appear obvious that 
a preternatural collection of serous, or wa- 
tery fluids, is often formed in different parts 
of the body ; and although the disease aris- 
ing from it is distinguished by different 
names according to the various parts oc- 
cupied, these collections all come under 
the general appellation of dropsy. When 
water is diffused through a part, or the 
whole of the cellular membrane, the disease 
is called anasarca ; when there is a collec- 
tion of water within the cavity of the cra- 
nium, it is named hydrocephalus internus ; 
when upon the vertebrae of the loins, it is 
called hydrorachitis ; when witliin the ca- 
vity of the thorax, it is named hydrothorax ; 
when it is contained within the cavity of 
the abdomen, it is. called ascites ; when in 
the uterus, hydrometra ; and when it is 
collected within the scrotum, it has the 
appellation of hydrocele. We can only 
notice a few of these. 
The removal of anasarca must be at- 
