2U6 PATH 
re£l: it immediately fubtrafls a portion of the irritant 
which keeps up the difeafe of the vafcular fyftem. The 
taking of blood, however, feems only u.feful in reducing 
the inflammatory a£lion to which its morbid quality has 
given rife. The amelioration of the quality of the blood 
is to be attempted by ftridt attention to the aliment 
from which the chyle is formed, and the ftate of the 
organs which aflimilate it. It would take much time to 
expatiate here upon the peculiar regimen which would 
be neceffary for particular patients. It is clear enough 
that no one plan of diet will cure the difeafe. If the 
patient has lived long on vegetables, animal food would 
of courfe be allowed in moderate quantities; if the ac¬ 
tion of the ftomach feemed particularly debilitated, it 
might be proper to have the food fo prepared by culi¬ 
nary procefles as to excite and ftrengthen the aflimilating 
function ; and fo on of other (fates. 
Since the fecernent fyftem a< 5 !s as an emunftory to the 
blood, its greater excitation (hould be enforced ; always 
taking care, however, that the excitation be not fo great 
as to diredt the difeafed adfion to the excited ftru&ure. 
Thus the bowels and kidneys fliould be excited, but 
only by the mildeft purgatives and diuretics. 
In reftraining the local hemorrhage, the tindfura ferri 
muriatis, the fulphate of zinc, and the fulphuric acid, 
are the raoft efficacious fubftances that we know of. 
They may be ufed fometimes in a very ftrong form. 
Dr. Struve mentions a cafe in which he applied concen¬ 
trated fulphuric by means of a pencil to bleeding pete- 
chiae, and the hemorrhage ceafed. 
3. Porphyra nautica, fea-feurvy: fpots of different 
hues intermixed with livid, principally at the roots of 
the hair; teeth loofe; gums fpongy and bleeding; 
breath fetid ; debility univerfal and extreme. 
The very frequent connexion between long-continued 
ufe of folid meat and feurvy, has led to the fuppofition, 
that eating of much fait is the caufe of feurvy ; but this 
idea is now confidered erroneous: The ufe of fait feems 
to produce feurvy only in confequence of its extreme 
quantity irritating and impairing the digeftive organs ; 
and moreover the lofs of nutritious juices which falted 
meats undergo, may operate to retard aflimilation : at 
all events, feurvy may be brought on by the ufe of fub- 
flances in which fait forms a very fmall part; and it is 
raoft evidently increafed or diminifhed in proportion to 
the degree of fpirits or defpondence which the mind of 
the patient undergoes. See a very remarkable inftance 
of the ftate of mind in this difeafe, vol. xi. p. 500. 
Thefe two laft and moft important fpecies were for a 
long period confounded together, confidered to be dif- 
eafes of debility, and confequently to be cured only by 
ftimulating means. We are indebted to Dr. Parry for 
firft (howing the error of this idea. He firft pointed out 
the important faft, that plethora was the ftate of body 
which attended the Purpura hasmorrhagica, or land- 
feurvy; and that the dreadful phenomena of this ma¬ 
lady arofe from morbid action of the blood-vefl'els; 
though it is allowed that this morbid a6lion muff: refult 
from morbidity of the blood itfelf in the firft inftance. 
'The only fimilarity which is traceable between the land 
and fea feurvy is that in each the primary caufe is dif- 
order of the aflimilating funftion. In moft cafes this 
arifes from bad food, whether it be improper in quality, 
deficient or otherwife in quantity. The aflimilating 
function is fubje£t likewife to be influenced by caufes 
foreign to the aliment itfelf. Thus we find falted meat 
produces the fea-feurvy, excefs and irregularity of eat¬ 
ing the land-fcurvy and its peculiar varieties. 
In the land-fcurvy, the gaftric or inteftinal diforder 
exerts itfelf moft efpecially on the capillary fyftem, and 
that in a flow and gradual manner; while the condition 
of plethora is extreme, and worthy of particular atten¬ 
tion in the cure. On the other hand, in the fea-feurvy, 
the mufcular fubftance, in confequence of the depriva¬ 
tion of the fibrine of the blood, is firft affected, and the 
O L O G Y. 
contractility of the capillary fyftem fecondarily ; nor is 
plethora generally very apparent, nor the inflammation 
fo violent as to require depletory meafures. We have 
thought proper to introduce thefe curfory remarks for 
the fake of (howing the jullnefs of the prefent arrange¬ 
ment. 
The following remarks apply, more or lefs, to the 
fymptoms and treatment of all the fpecies. The firft in¬ 
dication of the approach of feurvy is an averfion to any 
fort of mufcular exertion ; a lazinefs, or ftrong inclina¬ 
tion to fit ftill or lie in bed; which is accompanied with 
a fpontaneous laffitude, or a fenfe of heavinefs and pain 
throughout the body, and efpecially in the mufcles of 
the limbs and loins, like that which arifes from great fa¬ 
tigue, which foon becomes aClual feeblenefs, fo that the 
lead exercife, efpecially in afeending or defeending a de¬ 
clivity, induces fatigue and (hortnefs of breath. With 
this averfion to motion and diminiffied power of exertion, 
there is alfo very early a change of the complexion, which 
becomes pale and bloated, or fallow, efpecially about the 
lips and corners of the eyes, where there is a greenifh 
tinge. Thefe two fymptoms, indeed, the difinclination 
to exertion, and the fallow countenance, often portend 
the approach of feurvy, while the patient eats and drinks 
heartily, and feems otherwife in good health : and the 
fpeedy laffitude and difficulty of breathing upon motion, 
are among the moft conftant concomitants of the diftem- 
per throughout its courfe. 
As the difeafe advances, other fymptoms appear. 
Among thefe the Jlomacace, or morbid condition of the 
mouth, is one of the firft that prefents itfelf. The gums 
become hot and painful, and foon fwell, growing foft 
and fpongy, and of a livid hue, and afterwards extreme¬ 
ly putrid and fungous, conftituting one of the moft dif- 
tinguifliing features of the difeafe. This occafions great 
fetor of the breath, and the loofening of the teeth, which 
become moveable in their fockets, and may be taken out 
without force or pain, and even fall out fpontaneoufly. 
Haemorrhages alfo take place from the (lighted preffure 
on the gums, or even without any apparent caufe, as 
well as from the nofe; and ultimately from other parts 
of the body, where the cuticle is delicate, or the furface 
broken, in confequence of the apparent lofs of cohefion 
in the (olids, and efpecially in the vafcular fyftem. 
From this caufe thejkin alfo exhibits fome of the moft 
drifting charafferiftics of feurvy. It becomes dry, and 
fpotted over with difcolourations of a red, bluiffi, purple, 
and black, hue, of various fizes, from the petechia , or 
fpots like flea-bites, to the moft extenfive ecchymofes, of 
the fize of a hand-breadth, or larger, fuch as are produ¬ 
ced by the fevered bruifes. Thefe appear chiefly on the 
legs and thighs ; but often alfo on the arms, bread, and 
trunk of the body; and fometimes, though more rarely, 
on the head and face. They confift, in faft, of effufions 
of blood under the cuticle, from the rupture of the fmall 
veflels. As the difeafe advances, this laxity and lofs of 
cohefion in all the folids becomes ftill more manifeft, by 
the frequent and profufe bleedings which are liable to 
occur from different parts of the body; efpecially from 
the nofe, gums, ftomach, bowels, lungs, kidneys, and 
bladder, and from the ulcers and fungous excrefcences 
which arife on the furface. In fome patients, the hae¬ 
morrhages from the bowels are accompanied by fevere 
pains and diarrhoea ; while others, without either purg¬ 
ing or gripes, difeharge great quantities of pure blood 
by the anus. Other marks of laxity appear in the cede- 
matous fwelling which takes place in the legs, beginning 
firft about the feet and ankles; which, however, is more 
painful than common anafarca, and retains longer the 
impreffion of the finger. They appear remarkably alfo, 
in the great facility with which the flighted bruifes and 
wounds degenerate into foul fungous ulcers, as well as 
in the fpontaneous appearance of fuch ulcers, and the 
breaking-out of long-healed fores, and even the difunion 
of old fraftures in bones. “ Whatever former com- 
plaints,* 
