medicine. 
his nose, *nd often awakes suddenly in a 
frifiht ; the bowels are costive, and are with 
difficulty acted upon by the strongest pur- 
gatives ; the pulse is more frequent than in 
health, but regular ; these symptoms go on 
increasing, the pupils become dilated, and 
the axis of the eyes are turned in different 
directions ; the vomiting and pain of the 
head become more distressing, there is 
some difficulty of breatliing, the heat of the 
body, and of tlie head in particular, is in- 
creased, pyrexy comes on, of which there 
are perfect intermissions many times in the 
course of the day, with an evident exacer- 
bation in the evening ; the countenance is 
occasionally flushed, and the pulse, from 
being frequent, now becomes slow and irre- 
gular ; as the disease advances the pain of 
the head somewhat abates, and a degree of 
stupor or coma succeeds the watchfulness of 
the former stage, and if the patients be roused 
they are fretful, and often utter dissonant 
and loud screams, the hands are often lifted 
up to the head, and the strabismus becomes 
more considerable, the pupils are more 
dilated, and scarcely contract when expos- 
ed to a strong light ; sometimes there is a 
total defect of vision ; they swallow liquids 
with unwillingness and some apparent diffi- 
culty ; the vomiting now ceases, the dispo- 
sition to costiveness continues, now and 
then, however, dark stools are evacuated, 
in which worms are frequently observed ; 
when the disease has continued in this state 
for a few days, the pulse again becomes 
regular and frequent, but very weak ; the 
breath is drawn with difficulty, and with a 
stertorous noise, the patient is frequently 
affected with loud shriekings, red spots ap- 
pear on different parts of the body, particu- 
larly about the joints, and at length convul- 
sions come on, and close the scene. 
Treatment. As tliis disease frequently 
runs rapidly to its fatal termination, we 
must employ the most active remedies in 
the first stage ; the most powerful remedy, 
at the commencement of this deplorable 
disease, is blood letting : in children it will 
be sufficient to apply leeches to the temples 
at proper intervals ; in adults we may, wdth 
great propriety, employ general blood let- 
ting ; commonly, however, local blood let- 
ting will be most serviceable ; costiveness 
must be obviated by the more active ca- 
thartics, as calomel, combined with gam- 
boge, scammony or elaterium, and by the 
employment of clysters; the head should 
be shaved, and a large blister applied over 
tke whole of it, or between the shoulders ; 
it will be proper to keep up the discharge 
occasioned by the blister for some lime, in 
which case an alternation of them from the 
head to the back, or behind the ear's, will 
be attended with more beneficial effects^ 
than a perpetual blister ; the velocity ot 
the circulation will be diminished by the 
exhibition of the digitalis, and if we have 
reason to conclude that an effusion has 
taken place, the absorption of the fluid will 
be promoted by combining the digitalis 
with calomel; the latter must, however, be 
administered at proper intervals, in such 
doses as will produce some affection of the 
mouth ; opiates should be given at the 
same time, and if the patient be very much 
debilitated, it will be proper to exhibit 
bar k and clralybeates ; errhines may be 
tried, as one grain of turbeth mineral, mix- 
ed with from ten to fifteen grains of sugar, 
or liquorice powder, this should be gradually 
blown up the nostrils ; frequent electric 
shocks, from very small charges, are recom- 
mended to be passed through the head in 
all directions. The hydrocephalus is some- 
times symptomatic of worms, disorders of 
the bowels, or mesenteric affection ; when 
tliis is the case, the disease will generally be 
removed in a short time, by the employ- 
ment of mercurial cathartics, combined 
with other active purgatives, by blisters, 
and by some of the preparations of iron. 
Rachitis. This disease seldom makes its 
appearance before the eighth or ninth 
month, or after the second year of the 
child’s age; it appears first with a flaccidity 
of the muscles, and falling away of the flesh, 
although the food is taken in in large quan- 
tities. If the child be able to walk, a diffi- 
culty of breathing and palpitation of the 
heart will be perceived on its walking a 
little faster than usual ; the face is pale 
and somewhat bloated, and the child be- 
comes daily more averse to exercise or 
motion ; the head appears large in respect 
to tlie body, and the forehead becomes un- 
usually prominent ; the fontanelle and su- 
tures are more open than usual, the ribs lose 
their convexity and become flattened at the 
sides, and the sternum is pushed outwards 
and form a sort of ridge; the joints become 
enlarged, while the limbs between them ap- 
pear, or become slender, and variously dis- 
torted ; the spine of tire back, in particu- 
lar, becomes very much incurvated, and the 
whole figure is sometimes distorted in such 
a manner as to resemble the letter S ; the 
abdomen is hard and preteruaturally tumid, 
and tire other parts of the body are emaci- 
