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OF THE REMITTING FEVER.
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of a relaxed habit who live in low dirty habitations, breath an impure•stagnating air, take little exercise, and use unwholesome diet.
SYMPTOMS.------The first symptoms of this fever are generally
yawning, stretching, pain and giddiness in trie head, with alternatetils of heat and cold. Sometimes the patient is affected with a de-lirium at the very first attack. There is a pain and sometimes aswelling about the region of the stomach, the tongue is white, theeyes and skin frequently appear yellow, and the patient is often af-flicted with billious vomitings. The pulse is sometimes a little hard,but seldom full, and the blood when let, rarely shews any signs ofinflammation. Some patients are exceedingly costive, and others areafflicted with a very troublesome looseness.
It is impossible to describe all the symptoms of this disease, asthey vary according to their situation, the season of the year, and theconstitution of the patient. They may likewise be greatly changedby the method of treatment, and by many other circumstances tootedious to mention. Sometimes the billious symptoms predominate,sometimes the nervous, and at other times the putrid.—Nor is it atall uncommon to find a succession of each of these, or even a com-plication of them at the same time in the same person.
REGIMEN.------The regimen must be adapted to the prevailing
symptoms. When there are any signs of inflammation, the diet mustbe slender, and the drink weak and diluting. But when nervous orputrid symptoms occur, it will be necessary to support the patientwith liquors of a more generous nature, such as we recommended inthe immediately preceding fevers. We must however be very cautiousm the use of things of a heating quality, as this fever is frequentlychanged into a continual by a hot regimen and improper medicines.
Whatever the symptoms are, the patient ought to be kept cool,quiet and clean. His apartment, if possible, should be large, and fre-quently ventilated by letting in fresh air ai the doors or windows.It ought likewise to be sprinkled with vinegar, juice of lemon, or thelike. His linen, bed clothes, &c. should be frequently changed, andall his excrewente immediately removed. Though these things havebeen recommended before, we think it necessary to repeat tl.emhere, as thev are of more importance to the sick than practitionersare apt to imagine. The ingenious Dr. Lind of Edinburgh, in hisinaugural dissertation concerning the putrid remitting fever of Ben-gal, has the following observation ; "Indusia, lodices, ac strangula,siepius sunt mutanda, ac aeri exponenda; faeces sordesque imampnmum removendaj; oportet etiam ut loca quibus scgri decumbuntsint salubria, et aceto conspersa; denique ut aegris cura puantamaxima prospiciatur. Compertum ego habeo, medicum ha;c seduloobservantem, quique ea exequi potest, multo magis aegris profutu-rum, quam medicum peritiorem hisce commodis destitutum."
The patient's shirt, bedclothes, and bedding, ought frequently tobe changed, and exposed to the air, and all his excrements immedi-ately removed; the bedchamber should be well ventilated, and fre-quently sprinkled with vinegar; in short, every attention should b(paid to the patient. I can affirm, that a physician who puts these ill