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128

OF THE SMALL-POX.

however, ought always to be administered with a sparing hand Toan infant, a tea-spoonful of the syrup of poppies may be given everyfive or six hours till it has the desired effect. An adult will requirea table-spoonful in order to answer the same purpose.

If the patient be troubled with a strangury, or suppression of theurine, which often happens in the small-pox, he should be frequentlytaken out of bed, and if he be able, should walk across the room with hisfeet bare. When he cannot do this, he may be frequently set on hisknees in bed, and should endeavour to pass his urine as often as hecan. When these do not succeed, a tea-spoonful of the sweet spirit*of nitre may be occasionally mixed with his drink. Nothing morecertainly relieves the patient, or is more beneficial in the small-pox,than a plentiful discharge of urine.

If the mouth be foul, and the tongue dry and chapped, it oughtto be frequently washed, and the throat gargled with water and ho-ney, sharpened with a little vinegar or currant jelly.

During the rising of the small-pox, it frequently happens, that thepatieiii is eight or ten days without a stool. This not only tends toheat and inflame the blood, but the feces, by lodging so long in thebody, becomes acrid, and even putrid; from whence bad conse-quences must ensue. It will therefore be proper when the body isbound, to throw in an emollient clyster every second or third day,through the whole course of the disease. This will greatly cool andrelieve the patient.

When the petechias, or purple, black, or livid spots appear amongthe small-pox, the Peruvian bark must imm diately be administered,in as large a dose as the patient's stomach can bear. For a child,two drachms of the bark in powder may be mixed in three ouncesof common water, one ounce of simple cinnamon water, and twoounces of the syrup of orange or lemon. This may be sharpenedwith the spirits of vitriol, and a table-spoonful of it given every hour.If it be given to an adult in the same form, he may take at leastthree or four spoonsful every hour. This medicine ought never tobe trifled with, but must be administered as frequently as the sto-mach can bear it; in which case it will often produce very happyeffects. I have frequently seen the petechias disappear, and the small-pox, which had a very threatening aspect, rise and fill with laudablematter, by the use of the bark and acids.

The patient's drink ought likewise in this case to be generous, aswine or strong negus acidulated with spirits of vitriol, vinegar, thejuice of lemon, jelly of currants, or such like. His food must consistof apples roasted or boiled, preserved cherries, plums, and otherfruits of an acid nature.

The bark and acids are not only necessary when the petechia* orputrid symptoms appear, but likewise in the lymphatic or crystallinesmall-pox, where the matter is thin, and not duly prepared. The Pe-ruvian bark seems to possess a singular power of assisting Nature inpreparing laudable pus, or what is called good matter; consequentlyit must be beneficial in this and other diseases, where the crisis de-pends on a suppuration. I have often observed where the small-pox

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