162 
THE NIGER FEVER. 
remissions, or advanced to a fatal termination. In the 
height of the fever, the exhalation from the skin had 
a peculiar odour, not unlike the disagreeable mustiness 
of dirty wet clothes which have been kept in a confined 
place. The vessels were absolutely saturated with it 
at last, and it was so powerful on board ‘ Soudan,’ that 
the officers of the ‘ Pluto ’ employed on a survey of 
her stores, detected at once the presence of it, and 
could scarcely believe that it proceeded from the fever. 
In the fatal cases and those of greatest intensity, this 
effluvium was most appreciable. 
The state of the atmosphere was found to modify 
the stage of the disease very much ; a close, sultry 
condition without breeze augmented the fever greatly, 
causing restlessness, and converting what would have 
been the day of clearest remission into a day of con- 
tinued violent febrile action. In this way the 12th 
and 20th of September, being of such a nature, had a 
most pernicious effect on the cases. 
In conducting the treatment of this insidious dis- 
ease, the principal objects kept in view were as fol- 
lows : — To establish, if possible, a more healthy state 
of the secretions, in the use of remedies, anticipating 
as it were, the accessions of fever at night, and endea- 
vouring, especially during the remissions, to induce 
such a change in the system as might tend to lessen 
the duration of the malady. 
After a brisk purgative of the chloride of mercury, 
followed by neutral salts, the mercurial chloride was 
