152
OF THE MEASLES.
cially if Hie patient has been kept upon too hot a regimen. Petechifti, or purple spots, may likewise be occasioned by this error.
A violent looseness sometimes succeeds the measles; in whichcase the patient's life is in imminent danger.
Such as die of the measles generally expire about the ninth dayfrom the invasion, and are commonly carried oft' by a peripneumony,or inflammation of the lungs.
The most favourable symptoms are a moderate looseness, a moistski«, and a plentiful discharge of urine.
When the eruption suddenly falls in, and the patient is seized witha (klirium, he is in the greatest danger. If the measles turn to >soon of a pale colour, it is an unfavourable symptom, as are alsogreat weakness, vomiting, restlessness, and difficulty of swa low-ing. Purple or black spots appearing among the measles are veryunfavourable. When a continual cough, with hoarseness, succeedsthe disease, there is reason to suspect an approaching consumptionof the lungs.
Our business in this disease is to assist Nature, by proper cor-dials, in throwing out the eruption, if her efforts be too languid,but when they are too violent, they must be restrained by evacuaions, and cool diluting liquors, &c. We ought likewise to endeavour to appease the most urgent symptoms, as the cough, restlessness, and difficulty of breathing
REGIMEN.—The cool regimen is necessary here as well as inthe small-pox. The food too must be light, and the drink diluting.Acids however do not answer so well in the measles as in the smallpox, as they tend to exasperate the cough. Small-beer likewise,though a good drink in the small-pox, is here improper The mostsuitable liquors are decoctions of liquorice with marsh-mallowroots and sarsaparilla, infusions of linseed or of the flowers of elder,balm-tea, clarified whey, barley-water, and such like. '1 hese, ilthe patient be costive, may be sweetened with honey; or if thatshould disagree with the stomach, a little manna may occasionallybe added to them.
MEDICINE.—The measles being an inflammatory disease, with-out any critical discharge of matter, as in the small-pox, bleedingis commonly necessary, especially when the fever runs high, withdifficulty of breathing, and great oppression of the breast. Butif the disease be of a mild kind, bleeding, which in few diseases ismore necessary, may be omitted.
Bathing the feet and legs frequently in lukewarm water, bothtends to abate the violence of the fever, and to promote theeruption.
The patient is often greatly relieved by vomiting. When there isa tendency this way, it oug,ht to be promoted by drinking luke-warm water, or weak camomile-tea.
When the cough is very troublesome, with dryness of the throat,and difficulty of breathing, the patient may hold his head over thesteam of warm water, and draw the steam into his lungs.
;i„ may likewise lick a little spermaceti and suaa; <:andy poundrd