A systeme of anatomy, treating of the body of man, beasts, birds, fish, insects, and plants illustrated with many schemes, consisting of variety of elegant figures, drawn from the life, and engraven in seventy four folio copper-plates. And after every part of man's body hath been anatomically described, its diseases, cases, and cures are concisely exhibited. The first volume containing the parts of the lowest apartiments of the body of man and other animals, etc. / by Samuel Collins ...

CHAP. XXVI. Of the Cure of Continued Fevers.

AS to the Cure of Continued Fevers, The one proceedeth from the ac∣cession of the Volatil and spirituous parts of the Blood, called Febris Ephemera. The second is produced by the more sulphureous Atoms inflamed, styled Continua, as being without any perfect 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The third kind is named Malignant, as derived from poysonous Steams, either precipitating the Blood into serous Particles, or coagulating its red Crassament or the Chymous part (the Matter of Blood) which is found in Polypo Cordis, à Chymo in Ventriculis Concreto.

Febris Ephemera, consisting in the subtle parts of the Blood inflamed, * 1.1 hath three Indications; The first is the Remotion of the Procatartick cause, as the immoderate heat of the Sun, or assumption of generous Wines, playing in hot Baths, violent exercise, and the like.

The second Indication in this Fever supposeth the thin oily parts of the Blood to be allayed by cooling Juleps, or discussed by plentiful Sweats, * 1.2 or a free insensible transpiration.

The third denoteth a deflagration of the Blood, * 1.3 in reducing it to its pro∣per temper and mixtion, by the perfect assimilation of the Chyme into Blood, and the secretion of its Recrements in various Colatories, which is accomplished by Blood-letting (making good its Motion) as also by a thin Diet, and temperate Aperient, Diuretick, and Sudorifick Medicines dis∣charging the Blood from its inflamed Volatil, and more gross feculent Particles.

As to the Therapeutick of a Continued Fever of many days, * 1.4 it is made up chiefly of three Intentions, in the first it is requisite to quench the fiery sul∣phureous parts of the Blood; or at least to mitigate them, which is the se∣cond; and the third is, to throw off the adust Recrements, when the defla∣gration of the Blood is very much alayed.

About the beginning of this Fever, gentle Clysters may be administred, * 1.5 and Bleeding too is very proper, in a Plethorick Body, to lessen the mass of Blood enraged with inflammatory minute sulphureous Particles, and a spare Diet is to be used, made of thin Broths, prepared with cooling Herbs, as also strained Barley-Gruel, Water-Gruel, Barley-Cream, and the like.

And in the increase of this Disease, if the Pulse be high, * 1.6 and the Vessels much distended with Blood, attended with a want of Sleep and great pain of the Head, a Vein may be opened the second time, and blistering Plaisters ap∣plied between the Shoulders, and to the inside of the Arms, Thighs, Legs, and Cataplasms to the Feet.

In the state of a Continued Fever, Bleeding is not so proper, except in a most exuberant mass of Blood, attended with a Phrenitis, Angina, Perineu∣monia, Pleuritis, or some other great inflammation of the Viscera; and a most slender Diet is to be observed in the height of this Fever, lest Nature being overpowered with Aliment hard of Concoction, should be diverted from its proper work of conquering the Disease, by making a Secretion of the adust from the more refined parts of the Blood, * 1.7 and by discharging them by gentle Sweats through the Cutaneous Glands and their Excretory Ducts termi∣nating into the outward Skin.

In the declination of the Disease, * 1.8 care must be taken lest Flesh be eaten (before the Fever is some time gone) which consisting of Heterogeneous parts will put the Blood upon a new Fermentation, and increase the Inflam∣mation of the Blood, which hath often proved fatal to the Patient: If the strength of the Patient be not brought very low, a gentle Purge may be ad∣vised to carry off the reliques of the disease, and cleanse the Stomach and Guts of gross Excrements, and to render them fit for concoction and dristri∣bution of Aliment.

And when the Fever is discharged, it is requisite, in order to preserve the Patient in health, to advise him to begin with Broth, new laid Eggs poched, and afterward to eat Fish, easie of digestion before the free eating of Flesh.

A Malignant Fever proceedeth from Air infected with poysonous steams, whereupon the mixtion of the Blood is dissolved, and the various Elements severed from their intimate union, and the Purple Liquor Concreted, and the more serous Precipitated, and the Animal Juice vitiated, which is accompa∣nied with a great difficulty of breathing, a Delirium, Convulsive Motions, Vomitings, universal Horrors, tremblings of the whole Body, Syncopes, Lipothymies, vid. greater or less fainting Fits, &c.

This Fever is called Malignant or Pestilential, by reason of its venenate nature, in which it resembleth the operation of Poyson taken into the body, which produceth the same symptoms, and is akin to this Fever in the types and periods of its Paroxysms: Of this case I will give you a most remarkable instance of a Patient of mine, basely poysoned by a Servants Mother (con∣trary to all duty and gratitude) putting a quantity of Powder of Arsenick into Coffee-water.

A Knight of the Bath, * 1.9 a Person of great Fortune, Vertue, and Honour, about eleven a Clock the Third day of October, 1676. drunk two dishes of Coffee, and immediately Vomited with great violence, and so continued about ten hours, in which (he conceived) he vomited thirty times, which was accompanied many hours inwardly with a great heat and thirst, with an uni∣versal horror or coldness affecting the whole surface of the body, which was acted with general Convulsive motions of the Muscles, and trembling of the Nerves and Tendons, whereupon his strength was so dejected in a very few hours, that his Legs could not support him, and his Pulse grew quick, weak, and sometimes intermitting; he laboured also with a great difficulty of breathing, which was now and then for some short time intercepted, and then returned again; he was also afflicted with a high Flatus, distending his Stomach and Guts, productive of great tensive pains: These symptoms or some of them at least, affected him from the taking of the Coffee till Wed∣nesday at noon, and then had some alleviation till about two on Thursday morning, and then many of the former accidents returned (much aping a Malignant Fever) and afflicted him till about eleven a Clock on the same day, and then had ease all the afternoon, and fore part of the night till two the next morning, and then the Fever and symptoms were renewed, and held him till about eleven the same day, so that this Malignant Disease and symptoms, lasted at first for two days and nights, and afterward lasted but nine or ten hours in Four and twenty, for six or seven days more; and upon the application of proper Cordials, and great Doses of Oriental Bezoar, he had free Sweats for five or six days together, which brought out an innumerous company of Pimples (full of Serous Liquor) besetting the whole surface of the Skin, which spake a period to the Disease, to the Glory of God, and the Joy of his Physician and Friends.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The first Indi∣cation of a Febris Ephe∣mera.
• * 1.2

  The second Indication of this Fever.
• * 1.3

  The third In∣dication of this Disease.
• * 1.4

  The Indi∣cations of a Continued Fever.
• * 1.5

  Clysters Blee∣ding, and coo∣ling Juleps are very pro∣per.
• * 1.6

  Bleeding is very good in a Plethorick body, and in the beginning of the Disease.
• * 1.7

  Diaphoreticks are proper in Continued Fevers.
• * 1.8

  Eating of Flesh is very dangerous in Continued Fevers. A gentle Purge may be given in the declination of a Continued Fever, si vires ferant.
• * 1.9

  An instance of a Gentleman Poysoned which had the same types and periods with a Malig∣nant Fever.