An essay on fevers : to which is now added, A dissertation on the malignant-ulcerous sore-throat / by John Huxham, M. D. fellow of the Royal College of Physicians at Edinburgh, and of the Royal Society at London.

John Huxham

Date:: [1785?]

Credit: An essay on fevers : to which is now added, A dissertation on the malignant-ulcerous sore-throat / by John Huxham, M. D. fellow of the Royal College of Physicians at Edinburgh, and of the Royal Society at London. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

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$S1 ir.d dejection of fpirits concur with :hc difeafe, there is really oftentimes a nece^^lty of giving fomething of a cordial nature, even at the very be- ;;;inning, and that too fometiraes CA'en lot fparingly. Now when the fu- ■)erabundant quantity of the blood is iravvn off, thefe invigorating me- iicines may be ufed with greater fafety and advantage; and 1 have Tiany times feen exceeding good ef- >'-ts from them, where the puftules, :hrough excefFive fear, and oppreffioh )f fpirits of the patients, lay buried !n the flcin, as it were, and made no :onfiderable advance for two or three Jays together. I am no gteat advo- ate for the hot regim.en, efpecially at ! e beginning of the fmall-pox ; but I enow this muft be done in fuch cafes, jliflers muft be applied to roufe the luggifh ofclllations of the velTels, or he patient certainly fmks under the nalady. Yet in general I am not und of bliftering very early in the inall-pox, unlefs there is great reafon o fear that the tongue, fauces, and larine pafTagss, are otherwife like to )c greatlyl infefted with them. When i;e difeafe attacks with a rawnefs, urcnefs, or great heat of the mouth 'ui throat, and a corlfiderable (harp heura, or ftoppage in the noftrils with rcquent fneezing, and a tickling cugh, this is to be expefted, unlefs •rcvented by timely bliltcring, which have often found very fuccefsfal.— V great fneezing and fliarp rheum :n the mouth and noftrils, fhew ,t the -mnnhrnna fchncldericma, the :imon lining to all] thefe paffages, reatly alFefted, and that a revul- a from it is indicated j for even a puftules in the throat and noftrils of vaftly worfe confequcnce than liundred times the number on the crnal habit. Great pain and dif- ;!iy of breathing and fwallowing the certain effetfls, efpecially to- rds the clofe of the difeafe, which iuently quite choak tlie fick, urt- ilsyou are exceeding diligent with your gargles, fyrlnging, &:c, Some- times I have known fuch a violent de- fluxion on thefe parts, as to caufe a very profufe falivation even at the very beginning, which hath kept the patient conftantly awake, excoriated the tongue, lips, and throat, brought on fuch exceifive pain' as utterly td deprive them of fleep, and make fwallowing any drink, aliment, &c. almoft intolerable. Here early blif- tering in the neck, behind the ears, &c. is indifpenfably necelfar}'. Butfecondly, when perfons of wealc kx fibres, and a poor thin blood, or thofe who have undergone lately great evacuations, are attaclced with thei fmall-pox, withhold your lancet, as you tender the life of your patients* Thefe generally have a funk pale countenance, a weak, quick, trem- bling pulfe, very great dejeftion of fpirits, with a pale, crude, weyifn^ or limpid urine, alternate chills and heats, little thirft, and no great pain, but a perpetual heavinefs and ficknefs at ftomach, giddinefs, &c. Here, I pronounce it, fack and fafFron are not improper, vvith more eafy, iordiil, nervous medicines, fack whey, wine arid water, or the like. But all this may be done without large dofes of volatile alcalious falts and fpirits^ fnake-root, brandy, ftrong wine, &;c. Andyet I have feen pretty large quan- tities of wine given in fome low de- prefted cafes, v/ith very great advan- tage. Biiftcrs alfo may be here ap- plied, and ftimulating <^ataplafms to the feet. Bathing feems not fo pro- per- There is one thing in a pe'cufiar manner that greatly promotes the va- riolous eruption In thefe low flow cafes, where the puftules do not breali forth in a regular manner at the ufual feafon, but lie buried in the Ikin with, little or no protuberance, and lefs co- lour ; and that is vomiting by a gentle emetic. Nature almoft always makes this effort fpontaneoufly in this difeafe, and I tliink we fliouild follow th^ indi- cation ; for it not only in part throwsi off the rnOrbifiC m:\ttcr which piima-$