The remaining medical works of that famous and renowned physician Dr. Thomas Willis ...: Viz I. Of fermentation, II. Of feavours, III. Of urines, IV. Of the ascension of the bloud, V. Of musculary motion, VI. Of the anatomy of the brain, VII. Of the description and uses of the nerves, VIII. Of convulsive diseases : the first part, though last published, with large alphabetical tables for the whole, and an index ... : with eighteen copper plates / Englished by S.P. esq.

CHAP. VIII. Of the Ephemera or Feaver for a Day.

I Have said, the least degree of heat, which induces a continual Feaver, is placed in the subtil, and Spirituous part of the Blood, being too much agitated and heated; for this, like the Spirit of Wine, boils up on every light occasion, and conceives a fervor, by a too great motion of the Body, or perturbation of mind, by the ambient heat as of the Sun or vapours, by hot things taken inwardly, as the drinking of Wine, and the eating of peppered meats, and being irritated by such like. For the Spirits of the Blood, easily take fire, and being impetuously moved, are not presently appeased, but they move throughly other Particles of the Blood, va∣riously confound, and snatch them, into a rapid and disorderly motion; also from this motion of the Spirits, the Sulphur, or Oily part of the Blood, is more boiled forth, somwhat more dissolved, and somthing more fully inkindled in the Heart, by which means, an intense heat is raised up, in the whole Body. But forasmuch, as Sulphur is inkindled, and inflamed only by small parts, and not in the whole, that fervor of the Spirits is quickly appeased, and ceases: wherefore, the Feaver which is excited by this means, for the most part is terminated, within twenty four hours, and there∣fore is called an Ephemera, or a Feaver of a day. If that by reason of a greater heat of the Spirituous Blood, it is prolonged further, it rarely exceeds three days, and is cal∣led an Ephemera of more days, or a Synochus not putrid: but if it should happen to be lengthned beyond this time, this Feaver easily passes into a putrid, viz. from the dayly Ebullition of the Spirituous Blood, the more thick Particles of the Sulphur, at length begin to take fire, and involve the whole mass of Blood, in its Effervescency: even as the Spirit of Turpentine, being shut up in a Cucurbit, and being put into a Sand Furnace, if it be forced with a moderate heat, boils up gently, as the Blood in a Feaver of a day; but if the heat be made more strong; the Liquor grows im∣petuously hot, till it breaks forth into a flame, to which the inflamation of the Blood, in a putrid Feaver, may be very aptly compared.

The Days Feaver, and Synochus simple, rarely begin without an evident cause: Besides what hath been but now said, immoderate Labour, Watchings, a sudden passion of the mind, a constriction of the pores, a Surfeit, also a Bubo or in∣flamed Sore, a Wound, the coming down of the Milk in Child-bearing Women, are wont to induce them: The procatartic Causes, which dispose to this, are an hot temper of Body, an active habit, a sedentary life, and difuse of exercise.

The chief beginnings of this Disease, depend upon the presence of the evident cause: for either, little Bodies of extraneous heat, being confused with the Blood, like water boiling over the fire, make it to boil up; or this Feaver is induced, by mo∣tion, or by reason of transpiration being stopped; even as Wines made hot by moti∣on, or when too closely stopped in the Ton, are put into a Fervor: but what way so∣ever an inflamation is first excited, presently the Spirits become enraged, and being moved hither and thither, compel the Blood to boil up, and to be inlarged into a greater space, with a spumous rarefaction: wherefore, the Vessels are distended, and the membranous parts hauled, hence follow pain, chiefly in the Head and Loins, a sponta∣neous weariness, and as it were an inflation of the whole Body. If that, with the Spirit of the Blood, a certain Sulphureous part, be also in some measure inkindled, a sharp heat is diffused through the whole, the Pulse is vehement and quick, the Urine red, also thirst, watchings, and many other symptoms infest, the reasons of which are added hereafter.

Concerning the Solution, or Crisis of the Ephemeran Feaver, and of the not putrid Synochus, three things are chiefly requisite: viz. a removing of the evident cause, secondly a separation, and a scattering of the depraved, or excrementitious matter, from the mass of Blood: Thirdly, a quieting of the parts of the Blood, and a restitu∣tion of them, to their natural and equal motion and site. According as these succeed, now more suddenly, now more slowly, and difficully, this Disease is finished in a shorter, or longer time.

1. The evident cause, which for the most part is extrinsick, is easily removed, and the sick are wont, presently to avoid the presence, or assiduity of that thing, and do perceive a sense of any thing that is hurtful; none taking a Feaver from Wine, will still indulge the drinking of it, as soon as any one grows more than usually hot, in a Bath, or the heat of the Sun, 'tis a trouble to them to stay longer.

2. As to the Excrementitious matter, which ought to be scattered, and separated from the Blood: this is either brought from without, as when the Blood is infected by surfeit, drinking of Wine, sitting in the Sun, or from a too hot Bath, with Effluvia, or little dry, and Fermentative Bodies; or this matter is begotten within, as when its Liquor is stuffed with recrements, or adust Particles, from the deflagration of the Blood. Either of these matters, ought to be separated from the Blood, to be dispersed, and either by sweat, or insensible breathing forth, to be thrust out of doors, before the Feaver be appeased; wherefore, when as the pores are bound up, and transpiration hindred, the Ephemeran Feaver is longer protracted, and somtimes passes, from a simple Synochus, into a putrid.

3. The evident cause being removed, and this degenerate matter dispersed, there is required for the remission, a quieting, and reducing into order, the parts of the Blood; for diverse Particles of the Blood, being after this manner confused; and by reason of the Feaverish heat, carried up and down, they do not presently get again the former order of situation and position; but it is needful, that they be by degrees extricated, and by little and little restored, to a just mixture.

Although this Disease, after the removing of the evident cause, for the most part ceases of its own accord, within a while, yet some Medicinal Remedies may be admi∣nistred, with good success, especially, when there is danger, lest the Ephemeran Fea∣ver, should pass into a putrid, The chief intentions should be, to suppress the fervor of the Blood, and to procure a more free transpiration; to the which conduce, first a breathing of a Vein, a slender diet, or rather abstinency, cooling drinks, and a bring∣ing away the filth of the Belly, by Clysters: Sleep, and Rest, greatly help, above all the rest; which, if wanting should be procured in time, by Opiats, and Ano∣dynes.

Verily, altho the Histories, and Observations of those, distempered with an Ephe∣meran Feaver, contain in themselves nothing very rare; yet I shall subjoin an exam∣ple or two, in this place, whereby the delineation or type of this Disease, may be illu∣strated.

A certain young Gentleman, about twenty years of Age, endued with a strong ha∣bit of Body, by the immoderate drinking of strong Wine, fell into a Feaverish di∣stemper, with thirst, heat, and with a great burning of his Precordia; being let Blood, he drank a great quantity of fair water, and upon it presently a plentiful sweat following, he grew shortly well: In this case, the more thin portion of the Blood, being heated by the Spirits of the Wine, fell into a rage, caused the whole mass of Blood to be shaken, and its frame to be loosned, more than twas wont; and for that reason, that hapned to be more dissolved, by the Ferment of the Heart, and to be as it were inkindled by the active Particles, loosned from the mixture; until the Vessels being emptied by Phlebotomy, the raging Blood was cooled, and by the drinking of the water, its fervor was attempered; then the hot Effluvia, being involved, toge∣ther with the adust matter, with a copious Serum, and sent away by Sweat, the Blood at length recovered its due temper. Moreover, an ingenious young man, of a seden∣tary life, and also very much addicted to the Study of Learning, when he had for somtime exercised himself, beyond his strength, in the hot Sunshine, he began to complain of the pain of his head, a want of Appetite, a heat of his Precordia, and of a Feaverish distemper all over; to whom, (for that he was wholly averse to Phy∣sick) I ordered an abstinence from all things whatsoever, unless from Small-Beer, and Grewel; on the second day, and so more on the third, the symptoms remitted, by little and little, on the fourth, he went home freed from the Feaver, without any Me∣dicine.