NERVOUS FEVER.

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cessively, and the extremities feel cold, with a fluttering or slowcreeping pulse ; if there be a starting of the tendons, and almosttotal loss of sight and hearing, and an involuntary discharge ofstool and urine, there is great reason to fear that death is ap-proaching.

Diet. — It is very necessary, in this disease, to keep the patientcool and quiet. The least motion would fatigue him, and will beapt to occasion weariness, and even faintings. His mind oughtnot only to be kept easy, hut soothed and comforted with the hope»of a speedy recovery. Nothing is more hurtful in l,ow fevers ofthis kind than presenting to the patient's imagination gloomy orfrightful ideas. These of themselves but often occasion nervousfevers, and it is not to be doubted but they will likewise aggravatethem.

The patient must not be kept too low. His strength and spiritsought to be supported by nourishing diet and generous cordials.For this purpose his gruel, panado, or whatever food he takes,must be mixed with wine according as the symptoms may require.Pretty strong wine-whey, or negus sharpened with the juice of or-ange or lemon, will be proper for his ordinary drink. Mustard-whey is likewise a very proper drink in this fever, and may berendered an excellent cordial medicine by the addition of a propeiquantity of white-wine.*

Wine in this disease, if it could be obtained genuine, is almostthe only medicine that would be necessary. Good wine possessesall the virtues of the cordial medicines, while it is free from anyof their bad qualities ; I say good wine ; for however commonthis article of luxury is now become, it is rarely to be obtainedgenuine, especially by the poor, who are obliged to purchase it insmall quantities.

I have often seen patients in low nervous fevers where the pulsecould hardly be felt, with a constant delirium, coldness of the ex-tremities, and almost every other mortal symptom, recover by us-ing, in whey, gruel, and negus, a bottle or two of strong wine eve-y. Good old sound claret is the best, and may be made intuor given by itself, as circumstances require.tword, the great aim in this disease is to support the pa-tient's strength, by giving him frequently small quantities of th«above, or other drinks of a warm and cordial nature. He is not,however, to be overheated either with liquor or clothes ; and hi»food ought to be light, and given in small quantities.

Medical treatment. — Where a nausea, load, and sickness atstomach, prevail at the beginning of the fever, k will be necessary

* See Appendix, Mustard Whey.

t Where wine cannot be procured, equally beneficial effects have been producedby drinking sound porter or ale with a lemon or orange sliced into it, and renderedagreeable to the palate of the patient by the addition of moist sugar. This beverag«.may be drunk at pleasure, will be found to support strength as effectually as wine, andis in general much relished by the sick ; with the addition of one dram of muriati*»cid to each quart of the liquor, it forms a remedy to which the cure of most of th*low fevers of this country may with safety be confided. Ed.

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