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duced them; juft as the eye, on coming from darkness into day-light, in a little time ceases to be dazzled and pained, and gradually recovers its natural and fufficient supply of the irritable principle.

We will confider the fymptoms in confequence of the quiefcence which begins the fits of fever. From the quiefcence of the intestinal canal a lofs of appetite and flatulencies proceed. From the partial quiefcence of the glandular vifcera a fwelling and tenfion, not unfrequently about the præcordia, becomes fenfible to the touch; which is occafioned by the delay of the fluids from the defect of venous or lymphatic abforption. The pain of the forehead, and of the limbs, and of the small of the back, arifes from the quiefcence of the membranous fafcia, or muscles of thofe parts, in the same manner as the skin becomes painful when the vessels, of which it is compofed, become quiefcent from cold. - The trembling is in confequence of the pain of coldness; the yawning, fhuddering, and rigors, are exertions for the removal of pain and accumulated irritability. Sickness and vomiting is a frequent symptom in the beginning of fever-fits, for the mufcular fibres of the ftomach share the general torpor; its motion becomes first lessen

ed, and then retrograde *. The finall pulfe, which is flow at the commencement, and which is frequently trembling and intermittent, is owing to the quiefcence of the heart and arterial fyftem, and to the resistance opposed to the circulating fluid from the inactivity of all the glands and capillaries. The great weakness and inability to voluntary motions, with the infenfibility of the extremities, are owing to the general quiefcence of the whole moving system. If all these symptoms are further increased, the quiefcence of all the muscles, including the heart and arteries, becomes complete, and death enfues. This is, moft probably, the cafe of those who are starved to death with cold, and of those who are faid to die in Holland from long skaiting on their frozen canals.

This accumulation, therefore, of the irritable principle, if it happens to the veffels of the fkin from want of heat, occafions the pain of cold; and if to the arterial system,

*Such is the conftruction of animal bodies, that all their parts, when subjected to less stimuli than nature defigned, perform their natural functions badly. Thus, with respect to the stomach, uneafiness is first produced, then fickness, and at length efforts to vomit. In hyfteria, and other complaints, this inclination may be removed by opium or wine; but here perhaps the defect is not fo much in the nature of the stimuli in contact with the fibre, as to the temporary deficiency of the IRRITABLE PRINCIPLE, or, as was formerly said, of VIS VITÆ (powers of life).

from

from the want of its adapted stimuli, many difagreeable fenfations are occafioned, fuch as are experienced in the cold fits of intermittent fevers, and are as various as there are glands or membranes in the system, and are generally termned univerfal uneafinefs.-But as foon as this general quiefcence of the fyftem ceases; from the accumulation of fenforial power, which is the natural confequence of previous quiefcence, the HOT-FIT Commences. The heart is now roused to inordinate action, the fkin becomes red, and the body is fuffufed with heat. Every gland, as its powers of action are increased by the accumulation of the irritable principle during its late quiefcence, is now stimulated into stronger action than is natural, and hence a fuperabundance of all the fecretions is produced. The urine during the cold fit is in finall quantity and pale, both from a deficiency of the fecretion, and a deficiency of the abforption. During the hot fit it is in its usual quantity, but very high coloured and turbid, because a greater quantity had been fecreted by the increased action of the kidnies, and also a greater quantity of its more aqueous parts had been abforbed from it in the bladder by the increased action of the abforbents. This violent exertion not only diminishes

the

the accumulated irritability in the system, but at the fame time induces, first, pleasure, and foon after pain; which, whether it be fucceeded by inflammation of the brain, lungs, or pleura, or not, becomes an additional ftimulus; and acting along with the former ones, produces ftill greater exertions, until this ftorm of nature finks into a filent calm, or, to use another metaphor, leaves the patient below par.. Now, when the irritable principle is thus exhausted by ufelefs exertions (for here this accommodating temper of nature is an evil*, if fuch an expreffion may be used), the different organs of the body become as it were torpid, and a second fit of quiefcence fucceeds that of abundant activity t. During this fecond fit of quiefcence the irritable principle becomes again accumulated, and another fit of exertion follows in train. Thefe viciffitudes of exertion and inertion

* See a vindication of the wifdom and goodness of GoD in the establishment of GENERAL LAWS, Section the last.

Sometimes, however, the fibre feems as it were overpowered by its ftate of quiefcence, and the IRRITABLE PRINCIPLE does not again accumulate in the fibre, as was explained when relating the effects of the cold bath, page 417, and as will be fully explained when we come to treat of HYDROTHORAX (water in the cheft), fucceeding to inflammation of the lungs, ANASARCA (general dropfy), from the abuse of fpirituous liquors, and TYPHUS (putrid fever) commencing with fynocha (violent inflammatory. fever).

constitute

constitute the paroxyfms of remittent fevers, or intermittent ones, when there is an interval of nearly the natural action of the arteries between the exacerbations, and it will be fhewn in Part IV. * that upon this principle chiefly the cure of fuch fevers depends.

* Vide the Sections on FEVERS.

SECT.

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