Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/135

 F E U F E V 125 the court of appeal at Anspach. In 1821 lie was deputed by the Government to visit France, Belgium, and the Rhine provinces for the purpose of investigating their juridical institutions ; and in 1825 he published, as the fruit of this visit, his treatise Ueber die Gerichtsverfassung und das gericktliche Verfakren Frankreicks, In his later years he took a deep interest in the fate of Kaspar Hauser, which had excited so much attention in Europe ; and he was the first to publish a critical summary of the ascertained facts, under the title of Kaspar Hauser: ein Beispiel eines Verbrechens am Seelenleben (1832). Shortly before his death appeared a collection of his Kltine Schriften (1833). Feuerbach, still in the full enjoyment of his intellectual powers, died suddenly at Frankfort, while on his way to the baths of Schwalbach, May 29, 1833. In 1852 was published the Leben und Wirken Ans. von Feuerbachs, 2 vols., consisting of a selection of his letters and journals, with occasional notes by his fourth son Ludwig, the dis tinguished philosopher (noticed above). (v. L. R. c.) FEUILLETOX (a diminutive of feuillet, the leaf of a book), a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of the French newspaper. Its inventor was Bertin the elder, editor of the Debats. It is not usually printed on a separate sheet, but merely separated from the political part of the newspaper by a line, and printed in smaller type. It consists chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criticism, a chronicle of the fashions, and epigrams, charades, and other literary trifles ; and its general characteristics are lightness, grace, and sparkle. Some editors make use of the feuilleton as a separate sheet to float their journals into popularity by means of the instalments of an exciting novel. Something resembling the feuilleton is not uncommon in the newspapers of other nations, but none of these imitations possess the peculiar and distinctive excellencies of the French supplement. FEVER (from ferveo, to burn). This term, which may be defined as a condition of the body characterized by an increase in temperature, is used in medicine with a wide application. Fever is one of the most common accompani ments of diseases in general, and serves to make the distinction between febrile and non-febrile ailments. In many cases the fever must be regarded as only secondary to, and symptomatic of, the morbid state with which it is found associated. But there is a large class of diseases in which fever is the predominant factor, and which, although differing widely among themselves as to their characters and pathological manifestations, are believed to arise from the introduction into the system of something of the nature of a poison, upon which all the morbid phenomena depend. To such diseases the term primary or specific fevers is applied. In considering the general subject of fever regard must be had in particular to the two main features of the febrile process, viz., the abnormal elevation of temperature, and the changes affecting the tissues of the body in reference thereto. Indeed, the two points are inseparably associated. The average heat of the body in health ranges between 984 and 99 5 F. It is liable to slight variations from such causes as the ingestion of food, the amount of exercise, and the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere. There are, moreover, certain appreciable diurnal variations, the lowest temperature being between the hours of 1.30 and 7 A.M., and the highest between 4 and 9 P.M., with trifling fluctuations during these periods. The development and maintenance of heat within the body is generally regarded as depending on the destructive oxidation of all its tissues, consequent on the changes continually taking place in the processes of nutrition. In health this constant tissue disintegration is exactly counterbalanced by the introduction of food, while the uniform normal temperature is maintained by the due ad justment of the heat thus developed, and the processes of exhalation and cooling which take place from the emunc- tories of the body, particularly the lungs and skin. In the febrile state this relationship is no longer preserved, the tissue waste being greatly in excess of the food supply, while the so-called law of temperature is in abeyance. In this condition the body wastes rapidly, the loss to the system being chiefly in the form of nitrogen compounds (urea, etc.). The extent of this loss has been made the subject of research by many authorities, more particularly by Dr Senator, whose general conclusion is that in the early stage of fever a patient excretes about three times as much urea as he would do on the same diet if he were in health the differ ence being that in the latter condition he discharges a quantity of nitrogen equal to that taken in in the form of food, while in the former he wastes the store of nitrogen contained in the albumen of the tissues and blood corpuscles. The amount of fever is estimated by the degree of elevation of the temperature above the normal standard. When it reaches as high a point as 106 F. the term hyperpyrexia (excessive fever) is applied, and is regarded as indicating a condition of danger; while if it exceeds 107 or 108 for any length of time, death almost always results. Occasionally in certain fevers and febrile diseases the temperature may attain the elevation of 110-112 prior to the fatal issue. The clinical thermometer now in general use furnishes the physician with the means of estimating accurately the temperature and tracing its fluctuations, while the informa tion it affords serves in many cases to indicate the particular form of fever, even at an early stage, as well as to prognos ticate its probable result. The leading general symptoms characteristic of the feb rile state are certain phenomena connected with its onset, accession, and decline, necessarily modified in degree by the form the fever assumes, and by its attendant compli cations. The commencement is usually marked by a rigor or shivering, which may only exist as a slight but persistent feeling of chilliness, or, on the other hand, be of a violent character, and, as occasionally happens with children, find expression in the form of well-marked convulsions. Although termed the cold stage of fever, the temperature of the body in this condition is really increased. There are besides various accompanying feelings of illness, such as pain in the back, headache, sickness, thirst, and great lassitude. In all cases of febrile complaints it is of im portance for the physician to note the occurrence of the first rigor, which in general fixes the beginning of the attack. This stage is soon followed by the full development of the febrile condition, the hot stage. The skin now feels hot and dry, and the temperature, always elevated above the normal standard, will often be found to exhibit diurnal variations corresponding to those observed in health, namely, a rise towards evening, and a fall towards morning. There is in general a relative increase in the rate of the pulse and the number of respirations. The tongue is dry and fur red ; the thirst is intense, while the appetite is gone ; the urine is scanty, of high specific gravity, containing a large quantity of solid matter, particularly urea, the excretion of which is, as already stated, remarkably increased in fever : while, on the other hand, certain of the saline ingredients, such as the chlorides, are often diminished. The bowels are in general constipated, but they may be relaxed, as is often the case in typhoid fever. The nervous system participates in the general disturbance, and sleeplessness, disquietude, and delirium, more or less violent, are common accompaniments of the febrile state. The waste of the muscles and corresponding loss of strength is very marked, and continues even although considerable quantities oi nutriment may be taken.