Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 3, 1802).djvu/475

449&#93; PUL low ; the face presents a very un- healthy appearance; the eyes sink deep within their sockets ; the nose becomes pointed ; the hair falls off; and the nails curve in- wardly. Night-sweats, parlicuhuly about the Head and chest, together with debilitating otfensive loose- nessesj now make their appear- ance. The hands and fret swell ; the speech Is progressively weaken- ed, till death closes the scene, in most cases, with a gentle fainting. One circumstance is remarkable, that the unhappy sufferer, even at the suinmit of the disease, always flatters himself with hopes of reco- very. Causes : — Whatever may affcft the organs of respiration, in such a manner as to produce inliamma- tion, for instance, arsenical and other noxious fumes ; the injudi- cious tr-atment of catarrhs, and other complaints of the chest ; the improper use of astringents, &;c. ; after blood-spitting, foreign sub- stances fall into the windpipe (whence stone- luasons, miners, hair-dressers, and grinders, are fre- quent victims to this fatal disease) ; suppression of Iiabitual evacuations; inordinate passions; sudden change from heat to cold. Jt has often been qu, stioned, whether consump- tion be hereditary or contagious ; but a superficial (observation of the ravages in certain families, would soon resolve any doubt on these points. I'he danger attending pulmonary consumption, is such as to leave liltlc or no hope of recovering after the second stage li;is once com- menced : where it prcjeec ds from an hen-ditary disposition, it proves incurable. If it originate from sup])ressed evacuations of blood, or ihe repnlsiiDii of cutaneous erup- Ny. sn. — vol, nr. PUL [449 tlons,we may, by a judicious treat- ment, still flatter ourselves v/uh a favourable issue. The duration cf the disease varies according to the diflerence of constitution, cause and treatment, so that it may extend to twelve months, and even two or three years. The Cure must be adapted to the cause, stage of the disease, arid ditference of the season ; but the follow ing may be admitted as ^*- ?icra/ rules : All irritants and as- tringents (such as acids, &c.) ought to be avoided, and emollient medi- cines administered ; the diet must be chiefly, and during the fever entirely, of the vegetable kind, light and nourishing. The utmost temperance Is necessary, ni-t to stimulate the blood, and ihus in- crease the heftic fever. — Blisters applied to the back and sides, and otiier topical applicationr, for deriv- ing the fluids, are highly benefi- cial in the flrst stage, but less so in t;:e sequel. All irritating remedie? are to be avoided in the inflamma- tory stage, such as bark, the heat- ing gums, &:c. ; on the contrary, recourse should be had to gentle evacuations, particularly by small doses of ipecacuanha, so as to pro- duce long-continued nausea. Jf the Inflanmiation subside, some gentle solvents, such as sal-aiumo- niac, the Iceland Liverwort (p. 1 17), Vv'ithsea airanda voyage, vill be found eminently semceable ,; though the latter canr^ot be slip- posed to a6t otherwise than as an emetic : it ought however to be performed in the warm season. Gentle pedestrian exercise h pre- ferable to that on horseback ; the latter requiring too great an exer- tion : bilt, in cases of extreme weakness, a carriage will be pre- ferable. Should these modes of G <>■ exer-