First lines of the practice of physic / by William Cullen, M.D. ... ; with practical and explanatory notes, by John Rotheram, M. D. ; in two volumes ; vol. I[-II].

  • Cullen, William, 1710-1790.
Date:
1805
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: First lines of the practice of physic / by William Cullen, M.D. ... ; with practical and explanatory notes, by John Rotheram, M. D. ; in two volumes ; vol. I[-II]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    has flowed for some time. Generally during the whole of the paroxysm, there is not only a want of appetite, but an aversion from all solid, and especially animal food. As the cold stage advances, there frequently comes on a sickness and nausea, which often increase to a vomiting of a matter that is for the most part bilious. This vomiting commonly puts an end to the cold stage, and brings on the hot. As the hot stage advances, the nausea and vomiting abate ; and Avhen the sweat breaks out, they generally cease altogether. 15.] A considerable degree of thirst is commonly felt during the whole course of the paroxysm. During the cold stage,°the thirst seems to arise from the dryness and clam- miness of the mouth and fauces, but during the hot stage, from the heat which then prevails over the whole body ; and as the sweat flows, the mouth becomes moister, and the thirst, together with the heat gradually abates.* 16.] In the course of a paroxysm, there is often a con- siderable change in the state of the secretions. The cir- cumstances just now mentioned, show it in the secretion of the saliva aiid mucus of the mouth ; and it is still more re- markable with respect to the urine. During the cold stage, the urine is almost colorless, and without cloud or sediment. In the hot stage it becomes high colored, but is still with- out sediment. After the sweat has flowed freely, the urine deposits a sediment, commonly lateritious, and continues to do so for some time after the paroxysm is over. 17.] Excepting in certain uncommon cases which are at- tended throughout with a diarrhoea, stools seldom occur till towards the end of a paroxysm, when commonly a stool happens, which is generally of a loose kind.f 18.] Analogous to these changes ;n the state of the secre- tions, it frequently happens, that tumors subsisting on the surface of the body, suffer during the cold stage ot fevers, a sudden and considerable detumescence ; but generally, though not always, the tumors return to their former size during the sweating stage. In like manner, ulcers are some- * The thirst in the cold and hot stages of the paroxysm seems to be a provident design of nature ancihas been hold forth as an argument for the existence of the vis medicatnx natur*. The^aroxvsm concludes witha profuse sweat; the production of th.s sweat requires an addi- S quS offluidhy ; and nature, by means of tW thirst, seemsanxious to supply the quan- ilwoffl matter Ssarv for the perspiration that is requisite to remove the disease. + The author's expression is here somewhat aukward : the meaning of the passage .s, that stools seldom occur in the two first stages of a paroxysm, except in peculiar ?*My ™d* ?'),h j-,,rWi inrt if a stool hannens about the end ol the paroxysm, it is generally of a loose kind. ^A^o'naneous dTar SK sincreases the violence of the symptoms, and the obstinacy of ,hf riise^e Hence the absurd practice of prescribing purges in agues, which never fail lo exa- cerbat£>»«^ sm and proling their con\inuance/lf any uneasmess arises from accumuta- «d tees in the colon oj rectum, they may be removed by emollient clysters.