MEASLES.

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ver, however, and difficulty of breathing, often continue, especiallyit the patient has been kept upon too hot a regimen. Petechite,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 atout the ninth dayfrom the invasion, and are commonly carried off by a peripneumo-ny, or inflammation of the lungs.

The most favourable symptoms are a moderate looseness, amoist skin, and a plentiful discharge of urine.

When the eruption suddenly falls in, and the patient is seizedwith a delirium, he is in the greatest danger. If the measles turntoo soon of a pale colour, it is an unfavourable symptom, as arealso great weakness, vomiting, restlessness, and difficulty of swal-lowing. Purple or black spots appearing among the measles, arevery unfavourable. When a continual cough, with hoarseness, suc-ceeds the disease, there is reason to suspect an approaching con-sumption of 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 evacua-tions and cool diluting liquors, &c. We ought likewise to endeav-our to appease the most urgent symptoms, as the cough, restless-ness, and difficulty of breathing.

Regimen. — The cool regimen is necessary here as well as in thesmall-pox. The food, too, must be light, and the drink diluting.Acids, however, do not answer so well in the measles as in thesmall-pox, as they tend to exasperate the cough. Small-beer,likewise, though a good drink in the small-pox, is here improper.The most suitable liquors are decoctions of liquorice with marsh-mallow roots and sarsaparilla, infusions of linseed or of the flowersof elder, balm-tea, clarified whey, barley-water, and such like.These, if the patient be costive, may be sweetened with honey ;or, if that should disagree with the stomach, a little manna mayOccasionally be added to them.

Medical treatment. — The measles being an inflammatory dis-ease, without any critical discharge of matter, as in the small-pox,bleeding is commonly necessary, especially when the fever runshigh, with difficulty of breathing, and great oppression oí thebreast. But if the disease be of a mild kind, Weeding may beomitted.*

Bathing the feet and legs frequently in lukewarm water bothtends to abate the violence of the fever, and to promote the eruption.

* I do not know any disease wherein bleeding is more necessary than in the mea-sles, especially when the fever runs high : in this case I have always found it relievethe patient. Practitioners, however, are at variance with respect to the time blood-letting may be employed with the most advantage. Dr. Morton thinks it requisite assoon as the eruption is completed. Sydenham recommends it after the eruption hasdisappeared but practice, in this respect, should be regulated by the degree of theaccompanying inflammation of the lungs, without attending to the particular period ofthe disorder or the state of the eruption : this is the generally approved practice at thepresent day.

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