Page:Of the Gout - Stukeley - 1734.djvu/13

Rh The pain and heat, by degrees derive a vast flux of blood and humors which distend all the circumadjacent vessels, in order to quench the incendium. The struggle between this heat and the humour, rends open the extremitys of the vessels and continues the racking pain, till they are sufficiently distended. But these symptoms I shall not be particular upon. They that feel it, know them too sensibly, and compare them to the gnawing of a dog, to an actual fire at the same time, and to whatever is most direful and torturing.

By frequent fitts, all this oyly matter of the joint and tendons thereabouts, becomes deflagrated, and the glands that secrete it, so spoil'd in texture, that they cannot furnish a due quantity, either to lubricate the joint in walking, or to extinguish the matter of another fitt. Then nature is oblig'd to remand it to the next joint, the ancles. After that has sufficiently satiated its fury, the knees succeed, or perhaps the hands, elbows, shoulders or hips. She takes in a much compass as is necessary to her purpose. Sometimes, it will seize upon the very great gland serving the head of the os femoris, lying on the backside of it; and this causes prodigious torment. In short, by continuance of time, it quarters itself upon every join of the spine, and at length, every joint and tendon of the body: till for want