OF THE SMALL-POX.

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when it proceeds from an affection of the nervous system, is a bad sign ;but sometimes it is occasioned by worms, or a disordered stomach.

REGIMEN.------ When the first symptoms of the small-pox appear,

people are ready to be alarmed, and often fly to the use of medicine,to the great danger of the patient's life. I have known children, toappease the anxiety of their parent, bled, blistered, and purged, dur-ing the fever which preceded the eruption of the small-pox, to sucha degree, that Nature was not only disturbed in her operation, butrendered unable to support the pustules after they were out; so thatthe patient, exhausted by mere evacuations, sunk under the disease.

When convulsions appear, they give a dreadful alarm. Immediatelysome nostrum is applied, as if this were a primal y disease; whereasit is only a symptom, and far from being an unfavourable one, of theapproaching eruption. As the fits generally go off before the actualappearance of the small-pox, it is attributed to the medicine, which,by this means acquires a reputation without any merit.

Convulsion fits are no doubt very alarming, but their effects areoften salutary. They seem to be one of the means made use of byNature, for breaking the force of a fever. 1 have always observedthe fever abated, and sometimes quite removed, after one or moreconvulsion fits. This readily accounts for convulsions being a favour-able symptom in the fever, which precedes the eruption of the small-pox, as every thing that mitigates this fever, lessens the eruption.

All that is, generally speaking, necessary during the eruptive fever,is to keep the patient cool and easy, allow him to drink freely of someweak diluting liquors; as balm-tea, barley-water, clear whey, gruels,*e. He should not be confined to bed, but should sit up as muchas he is able, and should have his feet and legs frequently bathed inlukewarm water. His food ought to be very light, and he should beas little disturbed with company as possible.

Much mischief is done at this period, by confining the patienttoo soon to his bed, and plying him with warm cordials or sudorificmedicines. Every thing that heats and inflames the blood, increasesthe feVier, and pushes out the pustules prematurely. This has num-berless ill effects. It not only increases the number of pustules, butlikewise tends to make them run into one another; and when theyhave been pushed out with too great violence, they generally fall inbefore they come to maturity.

The good women as soon as they see the small-pox begin to appear,commonly ply their tender charge with cordials, saffron and marigold-teas, wine, punch, and even brandy itself. All these are given with aview, as they term it, to throw out the eruption from the heart. This,like most other popular mistakes, is the abuse of a very just observa-tion, that v)hen there is a moisture on the skin, the pox rise better, andthe patient is easier, than when it is dry and parched. But that is noeason for forcing trie patient into a sweat. Sweating never relieves,unless it be spontaneous, or from drinking weak diluting liquors.

Children are often so peevish, that they will not lie a-bed without anurse constantly by them. Indulging them in this, we have reason tobelieve, has many bad effects both upon the nurse and child. Even

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