Medical reports, on the effects of water, cold and warm, as a remedy in fever, and febrile diseases whether applied to the surface of the body or used as a drink, with observations on the nature of fever; and on the effects of opium, alcohol, and inanition / [James Currie].
- James Currie
- Date:
- 1797
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Medical reports, on the effects of water, cold and warm, as a remedy in fever, and febrile diseases whether applied to the surface of the body or used as a drink, with observations on the nature of fever; and on the effects of opium, alcohol, and inanition / [James Currie]. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![culiarity of the powers which are fitted to fet it in motion.* I have faid that the temperature of the medium continued unchanged, but it may be fuppofed that the bath was heated a little during the experiments ; it was fo; but being ex- pofed, with a large furface, to the open air, the wind blowing brifkly over it, its heat was little altered ; twelve minutes immerfion it had gained nearly one eee and in forty-five minutes, the longeft duration of any of the experiments, it had gainedthree degrees. As this acceffion: was regular, if it had been greater it would not have inva-' lidated the foregoing obfervations. Many other trials were made on the effe&ts of immer- fion in water on the human heat, which I fhall {peak of generally, under the general conclufions which they fug- gefted, | The experiments already recited, fuggefted to me the notion, that in all changes from one medium to another of different denfity, though of the fame temperature, there is a lofs of animal heat. I found, however, that this con- clufion requires many reftrictions. 1. My experiments being made on bodies of fuch very different denfity as air and water, do not admit an univerfal inference of this fort. 2. Being eal *% The author docs not mean to object to the theories of Dr. Crawford and Dr. Goodwin. The decompofition of the atmofphere in refpiration, is in al] pro- bability the principal fource by which caloric is received into the fyftem, but the actual ftate of heat in the body cannot fafely be inferred (as fome have fuppofed} from the quantity of air refpired. Caloric is received into the fyftem by other proceffes alfo, particularly from the food and drink in the ftate of digeftion, and the evolution of it into ative heat appears to be modified by the living power on its own peculiar principles, and cannot be explained by chemical or mechanical principles or analogies.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b33285962_0312.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
