796.) 
tenfively diffufed ; the former difeafe be- 
ing, for the moft part, mild in its 
fymptoms, and favourable in its termi- 
mations ; the latter dften confluent and 
fatal, efpecially to children. 
There was alfo, among infants and 
children, during the month of January, 
an epidemic catarrh, attended with a 
watery difcharge from the eyes and nof- 
trils, a frequent, though flight cough, a 
fhortnefs of breath, or rather, panting, 
. fluthing of the cheeks, great languor, 
‘with difpofition to fleep, and a quick, 
{mall, irregular pulfe. Thefe fymptoms 
_ were alleviated by the ufe of emetics, 
_ blifters, and antimonials in {mall dofes - 
and the complaint terminated in about 
eight days. It was fucceeded, in Febru- 
ary, by the hooping-cough, which com- 
menced with a febrile ftage, and pro- 
ceeded with fuch fevere paroxy{ms of the 
cough, that many delicate children funk 
under them, being wholly exhaufted by 
the violent and repeated exertions. In 
‘dome cafes, this diforder was inftantly 
fuperfeded by the appearance of the 
{mall-pox; but after their decline, the 
cough returned with the fame violence 
-asat firft. Three patients who feemed 
nearly {pent by the frequent repetition 
of the paroxyiims, the eyes becoming dull 
and gloffy, the cheeks livid and bloated, 
the breathing laborious, the pulfe weak 
and fluttering, were, however, recovered 
by the application of leeches to the chef, 
dlifters, pediluvium, and very {malt 
dofes of Dover’s powder given every 
four hours, 
Adults were, about the fame time, af- 
| feéted «with inflammatory fore throats, 
coughs, and catarrhal fevers. In feve- 
Tal patients, moftly females, a hard, 
founding cough was, after fome days, 
followed by an expectoration of thick, 
fetid, greenith matter, intermixed with 
a large quantity of clear, vifcid mucus. 
Along with this, other fymptoms ap- 
peared, which feemed to indicate the ap- 
proach of phthifis pulmonalis, as diar- 
rhea, hectic fever, night fweats and ema~ 
(lation, The complaint was much ag- 
| Gravated during the froft, which began 
Inthe laft week of February, and ter- 
-Minated on the 11th of March.' It was 
Rot at all alleviated by bloodletting em- 
qeved at an early period of the cough. 
he moft effectual remedies appeared to 
be, cupping between the fhoulders, blif- 
ters applied to the fternum and fcrobi- 
Culus cordis, pediluyium, antimonials oc- 
Cafionally, nitre, and demulcent drinks. 
Montuty Mac. No, IL. 
State of Difeafes. 
145 
Under this treatment, added to a light 
cooling diet, all the above patients were 
reftored to health before the 2oth of | 
March. The diforder had therefore, in 
no cafe, produced ulcerations in the 
lungs: and the expeétorated fluid, fo 
alarming in its appearance, was perhaps 
only compofed of a puriform exudation, 
and an encreafed difcharge of mucus, cir- 
cumftances ufwal in other inflammations 
of fecreting membranes. It is worthy of 
remark, that, by fucha ftate of the inner 
furface of the lungs, the conftitution is 
affected nearly in the fame manner, as 
when they are ulcerated; on which ac- 
count, the diagnofis of pulmonary con- 
fumption muft often be rendered obfcure 
and difficult. 
The treatment employed in the above 
cafes, proved likewife fuccefsful in twe 
cafes of peripneumony, where bleeding 
from the arm had been difadvantageous. 
Between the 1 of January, and the 
zoth of March, many cafes occurred of 
the fynochus lentus, defcribed by Dr. 
Huxham under the title of ** Low ner- 
vous fever.’” This acute difeafe does 
not arife frem contagion; nor feems.to 
be infeétious to others. The exciting 
caufes of it are fatigue, watching, anx- 
iety, and poor diet. Its progre{s is 
flow and infiduous; fo that the firft ace 
ceffion can feldom be marked: neither 
has it any certain termination or crifis, 
but afumes, at its conclufion, a Heétical 
form, which continues fome weeks, be- 
fore the patient’s ftrength and health can 
be fully reinftated. In thefe ref{peéts, it 
differs from fevers produced by conta- 
gion; and alfo in another particular, 
that the tongue ufually remains moift, 
through its whole courfe. Aphthous 
ulcerations in the fauces are cemmon ta 
both difeafes, 
One cafe of the low fever terminated 
about the zoth day by a profufe hzmor- 
rhagy from the bowels, which proved 
fata) within twelve hours. The patient 
was an unmarried lady, 35 years of age. 
The other acute complaints that re. 
main to be noticed, took place chiefly 
during the froft in February and March; 
and confifted of a few cafes of rheuma- 
tifm, fore throats of the fpecies termed 
by medical writers ee. phleg- 
monic eryfipelas of the:face, febrile net- 
tle rafh, inflammation of the bowels, and 
Peritoneal inflammation. 
Refpeéting chronic difeafes, fome ob- 
fervations will be made in future Num- 
bers; the only ones connected with 
U ‘the 
