fuch things, as when found, might be useful to mankind. But why fhould I give myself so much trouble, if a long course of experience did not manifest this method to be much fafer than the common one: for I am not fo fenfeless as to endeavour to acquire reputation, by exploding the opinions of those whom I ought to flatter, if I fought after applaufe. Neither is it to be fuppofed that I am so abandoned, as to use my au thority to compass the deftruction of late pofte rity after my decease, that though I might murder my fellow creatures when I am dead, as well as during my life; which I tremble even to mention. "However it be, I have followed this method in my own children, my nearest relations, and all those I have attended; and am confcious of no error, unless in yielding fometimes to perfons of a contrary opinion, to avoid the imputation of morofeness and obftinacy; and for the truth of this, I appeal to my intimate acquaintance. : "When the cafe is thus circumftanced, the phyfician, confulting his duty rather than a precarious reputation, ought with authority to order the patient to be refreshed with the open air; and to obtain the end here, it has frequently feemed fufficient to me, for the patient to rife, and fit up awhile, even in a delirium, the window being opened, by which expedient I have faved feveral from death. And And befides those I have seen, there are number lefs inftances of perfons who by this means have been fnatched from imminent danger. For fome delirious perfons deceiving their nurses, and getting out of bed, have remained exposed to the cold air, even in the night-time, with advantage; and others again, either secretly, unawares, or by entreaty, have procured cold water to drink, and thus, by a happy mistake, faved their lives, when defpaired of. "I fhall here fet down the hiftory of a cafe, which I had from the perfon concerned. He told me, that when he was a young man, he went to Bristol, and was there feized with the Smallpox about Midfummer, followed foon after by a delirium. His nurse, going into the city, left him in the mean while to the care of fome other perfons, intending to be back foon; but making a pretty long stay, the patient in the interim died, as the attendants thought; who confidering the heat of the season, and his corpulency, that the body might not fmell, took it out of bed, and laid it naked on a table, throwing a sheet over it. The nurse at length returned, and hearing the ill news, entered the room to behold the fad fpectacle, and immediately throwing by the sheet, and looking on his face, the imagined she faw fome fmall figns of life, and therefore put him to bed again directly, and ufing fome means or or other, fhe brought him to himself, and he re'covered in a few days *. "I own, indeed, that the Small-pox, in what manner foever it be treated, will fometimes prove highly confluent; whence this disease is never void of danger, though the best method and medicines be ufed to prevent it. "And therefore I fcruple not to affert, that the reputation of the phyfician, who is frequently employed in it, is much expofed to cenfure; for not only the vulgar are apt to attribute the cause of the patient's death to the over-officiousness of the physician, but even the profeffors of the fame art fometimes take occafion from thence to defame their brother, and haranguing before partial judges, easily obtain the fevere sentence against him, with this view, that they may procure greater efteem for themfelves, and build their rise upon the ruin of others; which is a practice utterly unbecoming men of letters, and even the meaneft artizans, provided they have a regard for probity. "But this I affirm, which is fufficient for my purpose, that it is manifeft, from frequent expe I have good information, fays the learned Dr. Monro, Profeffor at Edinburgh, of 112 being inoculated in the middle of winter, in fome of our most northern ifles, where there was fcarce fuel enough to prepare victuals, and many of the inoculated went abroad bare-footed in fnow and ice; yet not one of the whole number died. VOL. IV. P rience, rience, that he that refrains from bed in the day time, at the beginning of the difeafe, abftains entirely from flesh, and drinks only fmall liquors, is abundantly Jafer than he that confines himself immediately in bed, and takes hot cardiacs. For this method, as abovementioned, generally occafions only few eruptions, and confequently checks the exceffive effervefcence of the fecondary fever. Moreover, this method is preventive of the purple spots, and bloody urine; both which symptoms feize at the begining of the disease, and often before any sign of the eruption appears, which ordinarily happens alfo in the measles, fcarlet fever, and other acute difcafes proceeding from a violent inflammation. Not to mention the fingular refreshment the patient finds from the admiffion of fresh air, every time he is taken out of his warm bed; which, all thofe that I was fuffered to treat in this manner openly declared, and were very thankful for; having, as it were, received new life and Spirits from breathing a freer air.. "I must proceed next to obferve, that though the patient may fometimes refrain from bed in the day time, yet in cafe of extreme ficknefs, a high fever, enormous vomiting, a vertigo, rheumatic pains of the limbs, and the like diforders; he cannot be indulged this refreshment, these fymptoms indicating the contrary; which, if they be violent, efpecially in the young and fanguine, forefhew that a large quantity of the va riolous. tiolous matter is generated in the body, and threaten great danger from the tumultuary eruption of the puftules, which will prove very confluent. In this cafe, therefore, as all endeavours must be used to check the immoderate ferment, which notwithstanding, on the one hand, will rage more by the continual warmth of the bed, and yet, on the other hand, the patient cannot keep up, by reafon of extreme fickness, unless we relieve him; it is indifpenfably neceffary to give a vomit of the infufion of crocus metallorum *, which not only expels the matter occafioning this unufual fickness, but refreshes the patient fo confiderably, that being now in à manner well, he is able to refrain from bed. Neither are we to endeavour to weaken the force of the ferment by this method only, but in order to put the patient further out of danger, befides the evacuations just mentioned, it is proper to give him a large dofe of fpirit of vitriol (vitriolic acid,) in every draught of fmall beer, till the eruption be over. And notwithstanding these evacuations, and the ufe of the cooling drink, the patient muft refrain from bed in the day time, if he can bear to fit up; because these general remedies do not check the affimilation of the variolous matter, near fo much as once cooling the blood by drawing in the fresh air, and breathing it out by the lungs; which alone immediately abates *Semi-vitrious fulphurated oxyd of antimony. the |