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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    is the cause of all that follows in the course of the parox- ysm. See Boerh. A ph. 1756, 35.] To discover the cause of the cold stage of fevers, we may observe, that it is always preceded by strong marks of a general debility prevailing ill the system. The small- ness and weakness of the pulse, the paleness and coldness of the extreme parts, with the shrinking of the whole bo- dv, sufficiently show that the action of the heart and larger arteries is, for the time, extremely weakened. Together with this, the languor, inactivity, and debility of the ani- mal motions, the imperfect sensations, the feeling ot cold, while the body is truly warm, and some other symptoms, all shew that the energy of the brain is, on this occasion, greatly weakened ; and I presume, that as the weakness of the action of the heart can hardly be imputed to any other cause, this weakness also is a proof of the diminished ener- gy of the brain. 36.] I shall hereafter endeavor to show, that the most noted of the remote causes of fever, as contagion, mias- mata, cold and fear, are of a sedative nature ; and there- fore render it probable that a debility is induced. Like- wise, when the paroxysms of a fever have ceased to be re- peated, they may again be renewed, and are most com- monly renewed by tiie application of debilitating powers. And further, the debility which subsists in the animal mo- tions and other functions through the whole of fever, ren- ders it pretty certain that sedative or debilitating powers* have been applied to the body. 37.] It is therefore evident, that there are three states which always take place in fever : a state of debility, a state of cold, and a state of heat; and as these three states regularly and constantly succeed each other in the order we have mentioned them, it is presumed that they are in the series of cause and effect with respect to one another. This we hold as matter of fact, even although we should not be able to explain in what manner, or by what mechanical means these states severally produce each other. 33.] How the state of debility produces some of the symptoms of the cold stage, may perhaps be readily ex- plained ; but how it produces all of them, I cannot ex- plain otherwise than by referring the matter to a o-encral law of the animal ceconomy, whereby it happens, that pow- , * A purge administered six or seven days after the appearance of m» n»«m>. h.. *,„ oceasioWa relapse, and.s a practice that ought to ^carefuV/av^ded^ ha^S!: louad that purges given in the beginning of the disease, incieasc the difficulty of curing u.^