Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 2, 1802).djvu/298

268&#93; 268] P E V somewhat elevated above the skin, and urieven to the touch, snch as the measltes ; or in mere stains or ■;d by a di^oioured surface ; for example, in the pete- chial fever. It would be superfluous to give farther explanations on the difl ■••■ tfl kinds of fever, a subject which is but imperfeefly understood in the- ory, though the generality of these maladies has, in consequence of friaay important discoveries in che- mistry, been lately treated with greater 3 success than our medii al predecessors were entitled to c- pecd, from their deficient know- ledge of natural philosophy. Thus, an attempt has been made to re- duce all fevers to one. generic source, and to ascribe their origin 1 to an undue proportion i and a deficiency of oxygen'^ in the human system. Although we can- not approve of that uncommon fondness tor generalization, which has be< n productive of incalculable mischief in medical practice, yet there appears to be some founda- tion for those eccentric opinions maintained by a foreign professor, Br. Reich, ofErlang; in a treatise " O." Fever;" a translation of which has just been published in English. This ingenious practitioner has cured the most malignant putrid fe- vers, by the liberal use of mineral acids, and particularly the muria- tic, or spirit of sea-salt. He ac- knowledges that acids have long: been employed in fevers, though only in very small quantities, and chiefly as auxiliaries, especially the vitriolic, and those of the vegetable kind ; but the muriatic acid has seldom been used. In the year 1/73, indeed, Sir W. Fokdyce highly recommended this acid to be given internally, in putrid and F E V malignant fevers, and to be applied externally in the form' of a lini- ment, or gargle, to the sloughs in the throat, frequently accompany- ing such fevers ; but his liniment consisted only of twenty drops of the concentrated acid to one ounce of honey of roses ; and Ids antisep- tic febrifuge contained five drops ot the acid mixed with two ounces of a strong decocrion of Peruvian bark. In a subsequent pamphlet, concerning the virtues of the mu- riatic acid, which appeared in 1/90, Sir William recommends it as the best remedy in all putrid diseases of the worst kind ; in pe- techia), camp, and jail-distempers, as well as the malignant sore- throat, so frequently fatal in this country ; and afterwards in the small-pox and plague. The origi- nal discovery of this invaluable me- dicine appears to belong to Con- STANTINE RhoDOCANACIDES, who in lt)(54 published a treatise on the internal and external use of this acid, the extraordinary power of which he derived from the univer- sality and approved value of com- mon salt. Hence he recommended it to be mix d with food and drink to the amount, if necessary, of 100 drops in 2-1 hems, both as a pre- ventive and remedy for the plague, and as a general antiseptic. Dr. Reich observes, that the quantity of acids, necessary to effect a cure of fevers, depends on cir- cumstances, and can only be de» termined by experience. It is, however, more advisable to begin with small doses, and to repeat them frequently ; for instance, if a mixture be made of from one dram to half an ounce of the acid, eight ounces of water, and two of syrup, let the patient take a table- spoonful or nioj-e every hour, or two