Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 3, 1802).djvu/523

495&#93; Cines have been found useful : of the former, we recommend small doses of ipecacuanha, to a£t as a gentle emetic ; rhubarb and man- na, with the addition of nutmeg, or fennel-seed. Among the safest astringents, are quassia, Peravian bark, and calcined zinc, in very small proportions, to be frequently repeated ; but the cold bath, fresh air, and moderate exercise, are eminently benehcial. Iron hlings, though considered a specific cure for this complaint, should be pre- scribed only by the facultv. In the western isies of Scotland, the rickets are effeftually cared by an oil, extrnfted from the liver of ,the skate-fish : with this intention, the wrists and ancles are rubbed ■v^'ith such oil in the evening, so that a fever of several hours dura- tion is immediately excited. On the follov/ing evenings, the same operation is repeated, as long as the iinflion of those parts produces si- milar effefts. When no febrile action can be induced by the fric- tion of the wrists and ancles alone, they are then rubbed together with the knees and elbows ; in conse- <iuence of which a new fever en- sues ; and this pra6tice is conti- nued accordingly. Then, the spine and loins are to undergo the ope- ration, together with the former parts, to re-prodnce the symptoms of fever ; and, when these likewise are no longer susceptible, a flannel shirt, dipped in the oil, is put upon the body of the patient ; by which expedient a fever more violent tlinn from any of the preceding applica- tions is roused, and this general covering is worn next the skin, till the cure is completed ; an event which generally takes place within a short lime. — We have stated this heroic remedy, on the auth.ority of R IC [495 Dr. Duncan, sen. of Edinburgh ; who has inserted it in the 17th vokime of his Medical Commen- taries : but we apprehend, that few English parents v.iU be in- clined to submit their infants to this febrile stimulation ; though we entertain no doubt of its efficacy, provided it be equally safe. RICKETS, in Sheep, a disorder which occurs chieiiy in the county of Huntingdon, whither it is by some farmers supposed to have been introduced from Holland. This malady is one of the most fatal that can happen in a flock ; for, as its causes have never been clearly ascertained, all the remedies hitherto employed for its removal, have uniformly failed of success. The first symptom that indicates the presence of the rickets is, a species of giddiness, in consequence of which the sheep appears ynusu- ally wild and ferocious ; starting np suddenly, and running to a con- siderable distance on the approach of any person, as if it were pursued by dogs. In the second period, the chief characteristic is a violent and in- flammatory itching in the skin ; the animal rubs itself furiously against trees, hedges, and the like, so as to pull ofl'the wool, and even to tear away the flesh : no critical discharge, or cutaneous eruption takes place, and every circumstance indicates the most violent fever. The last stage of this malady, is the progress towards dissolution, which at length follows ; and the animal, after having reeled about, lain down, and occasionally eaten a little, falls a viClini to a general consumption. The rickets appear in the spring; and are hcreditari/: thus, after le- inaiuing latent for one or two ge- nerations.