MILIARY FEVEE.

161

be necessary to apply several blistering plasters to the mostsensible parts, as the inside of the legs and thighs, <fec.

Bleeding is seldom necessary in this disease, and some-times it does much hurt, as it weakens the patient and de-presses his spirits. It is therefore never to be attempted un-less by the advice of a physician. We mention this becauseit has been customary to treat this disease in childbed womenby plentiful bleeding, and other evacuations, as if it were high-ly inflammatory. But this practice is generally very unsafe.Patients in this situation bear evacuations very ill. Andindeed the disease seems often to be more of a putrid than ofan inflammatory nature.

Though this fever be often occasioned in childbed womenby too hot a regimen, yet it would be dangerous to leave thatoff all of a sudden, and have recourse to a very cool regimenand large evacuations. We have reason to believe that sup-porting the patient's spirits, and promoting the natural evac-uations, is here much safer than to have recourse to artificialones, as these, by sinking the spirits, seldom fail to increasethe danger.

If the disease prove tedious or the recovery slow, we wouldrecommend the Peruvian bark, which may either be taken insubstance, or infused in wine or water, as the patient inclines.

The miliary fever, like other eruptive diseases, requiresgentle purging, which should not be neglected as soon as thefever is gone off, and the patient's strength will permit.

To avoid this disease, a pure dry air, sufficient exercise, andwholesome food, are necessary. Pregnant women shouldguard against costiveness, and take daily as much exercise asthey can bear, avoiding all green trashy fruits, and other un-wholesome things ; and when in childbed, they ought strictlyto observe a cool regimen.

CHAPTER XXII.OF THE REMITTING FEVER.

This fever takes its name from a remission of the symp-toms, which happens sometimes sooner and sometimes later,14* L

f

I ;