The family adviser : greatly enlarged and amended ; to which is prefixed The philosophy of disease, with tables, for the use of students of medicine ; or of gentlemen who wish to become acquainted with the fundamental principles of medicine / by Henry Wilkins.

  • Wilkins, Henry, 1767-1847.
Date:
1833
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The family adviser : greatly enlarged and amended ; to which is prefixed The philosophy of disease, with tables, for the use of students of medicine ; or of gentlemen who wish to become acquainted with the fundamental principles of medicine / by Henry Wilkins. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    The great sweating fever of Europe, in 1597, and some other years, was occasioned by extraordinary seasons. Mezeray, the French historian says, that for five years the earth was abortive, from the great draught; of course an immense quantity of animal and vegetable food was imperfect. Poverty made filth and wretchedness; and the extraordinary seasons had their full influence immediately on the human person. Perhaps the worst case that ever occurred, in this country, happened to General Wilkinson's army; badly located on the Mississippi, fed with spoiled meat and damaged flour; the soldiers almost died on their feet. They could separate the flesh from their cheeks, or pull out their tongues before death. Fevers are sometimes obscure and continue a long time without showing their organic affections, or ever their usual accompaniments. Every effort should be made to find out the primary or local affection; for this purpose the patient should be examined in different positions, by pressure on different parts of the abdomen, by long inspirations; a tenderness will often be found by such means, that will give a clue to all the symp- toms. Affections of the throat are sometimes an index to disease in the lungs. In many cases, where there is no considerable organic derangement, there will be some morbific matter engendered in the system; to keep up a spurious fever till the matter is thrown out on the surface, or off by the bowels. In other cases of obscurity it will be found that the disease, by mismanagement or neglect, has forsaken its usual type, and become confused in its symptoms. In all such cases diligent enquiry must be made as to the first symptoms of the disease; which will, in general, be found the leading point to direct the physician: for what the disease was at first, it is apt to be under all its obscurity. Intermittents will sometimes become a mere train of nervous symptoms, with sinkings at the time there ought to be a chill. In vain may the phy- sician prescribe for those nervous affections and mock tokens. Rheumatism will sometimes change its type;