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OF FEVERS IN GENERAL.

would wish to avoid fevers and other fatal diseases, to pay the mostpunctual attention to these articles.

Fevers are not only the most frequent of all diseases, but they arelikewise the most complex. In the most simple species of fever thereis always a combination of several different symptoms. The distinguishing symptoms of fever are, increased heat, frequency of pulse,loss of appetite, general debility, pain in the head, and a difficultyin performing some of the vital or animal functions. The othersymptoms usually attendant on fevers are, nausea, thirst, anxiety,delirium, weariness, wasting of the flesh, want of sleep, or the sleepdisturbed, and not refreshing.

When the fever comes on gradually, the patient generally com-plains first of languor or listlessness, soreness of the flesh, or thebones, as the country people express it, heaviness of the head, lossof appetite, sickness, with clamminess of the mouth; afer some timecome on excessive heat, violent thirst, restlessness, &c.

When the fever attacks suddenly, it always begins with an uneasysensation of excessive cold, accompanied with debility and loss of ap-petite ; frequently the cold is attended with shivering, oppressionabout the heart, and sickness at the stomach, or vomiting.

Fevers are divided into continual, remitting, intermitting, andsuch as are attended with cutaneous eruptions or topical inflamma-tion, as the small-pox, erysipelas, &c. By a continual fever ismeant that which never leaves the patient during the whole course ofthe disease, or which shews no remarkable increase or abatement inthe symptoms. This kind of fever is likewise divided into acuteslow, and malignant. The fever is called acute when its progress isquick, and the symptoms violent; but when these are more gentle,it is generally denominated slow. When livid or petechial spots shewa putrid state of the humours, the fever is called malignant, putrid,or petechial.

A remitting fever differs from a continual only in a degree. Itnas frequent increases and decreases, or exacerbations and remissionsbut never wholly leaves the patient during the course of the disease!Intermitting fevers or agues are those which, during the time that thepatient may be said to be ill, have evident intervals or remissions ofthe symptoms.

As a fever is only an effort of Nature to free herself from an offend-ing cause, it is the business of those who have the care of the sick toassist her operations. Our bodies are so framed, as to have a con-stant tendency to expel or throw off whatever is injurious to health.This is generally done by urine, sweat, stool, expectoration, vomit,'or some other evacuation.

There is reason to believe, if the efforts of Nature, at thebe»innin<>of a fever, were duly attended to and promoted, it would seldomcontinue long; but when her attempts are either neglected or counteracted, it is no wonder if the disease proves fatal. There are dailvinstances of perons who, after catching cold, have all the symptomsofa beginning fever; bul by keeping warm, drinking diluting liquors