will almost infallibly do so, under all circumstances, I fully believe. I know infallible is a strong word, but I employ it to express the strength of my conviction. I tested it in my own practice in 1836, in the hottest, most miasmatic part of the south, called by common consent the "natural grave-yard," from the fearful mortality among all classes of the various higher grades of fever. I rode wherever called, in the hottest mid-day, in sunshine and in storm, in those fuming suffocative sultry showers so common to the south, and at midnight. But on no account did I neglect for a single time the precautions I have named. In a whole season's practice I never missed a call, never missed a meal, never had a moment's sickness, and had a convenient purse at the end. A young gentleman, with a more robust constitution, with far greater capabilities of endurance, was settled near me. While I was seated in a large room with a moderate fire after tea, he sat in the piazza, immediately in front of which was a very large garden of the rarest flowers, and the most delicious fruits, and in front of that a stream of water. We often conversed together between the closed doors and windows, and from his description the air must have been delightfully cool and refreshing. He knew it was a test of theory, but felt willing to abide the issue, always concluding that the danger was on my side. The result was, that within two months he was attacked with fever, and remained ill until the fall of the year, when he was hardly able to ride; he did not make a penny, and lived at my expense.

As to the morning, the common sense of the people in the south has led them to a custom which is almost universal, especially is it observed among the creole

population, to take a cup of cream and hot coffee, with sugar, before they leave their beds, as regular as the morning comes. All the southern steamboats have coffee and crackers on their table by sunrise every morning.

This statement has been made at length, to impress upon the mind of my patients the necessity of

Avoiding the out door air of the hour, including sunrise and sun-set;

To take something warm on the stomach before going out of doors in the morning. If the person is not much of an invalid, a crust of cold bread, or a cracker or two, will be sufficient.

What I have said is intimately connected with the general subject of consumptive disease, for it is no uncommon thing for persons applying to me from the Western States, and evidently suffering from consumption, to attribute the foundation of their disease to fever and ague frequently repeated, or long continued. I know that medical writers have affirmed that fever and ague was rather a preventive of consumption; and that a consumptive would find benefit from settling in a fever and ague country. But it is simply not so. Those who have written thus have not lived for a length of time in the west and south-west, and their opinions have been formed from isolated cases, from insufficient data. I ave lived in the midst of such a country for a quarter of a century and more, and speak from my own observation and from that of persons who have applied to me since. Fever and ague, long continued, debilitates the whole system, as they too well know who have had the misfortune to suffer from it; and all medical men know that protracted debility, from whatever cause, tends to consumptive disease.

It is on the same principle that dyspepsia lays the foundation for consumption in great numbers of people.

Dyspepsia is simply difficult digestion, that is, the stomach is too weak to prepare a sufficient amount of juices to dissolve the food which is swallowed. These juices do not penetrate the food and turn it into a fluid mass, because that food is too hard in quality, or too much in quantity. If a number of pieces of ice and sugar, in small lumps, are put into a glass, and a small quantity of water is poured on them, a portion will be dissolved, part may be in a fluid shape, but there will be lumps unmelted; or the sugar may be melted easily, but the ice not so much so, it still remains hard, and some lumps of sugar are unpenetrated. Thus it is with. food, especially on a weak stomach. There is not enough stomach liquor to dissolve it all; the whole mass is unliquified, is undigested, undissolved, and that is the meaning of indigestion, dyspepsia; either the stomach is not able to turn out juices enough to dissolve what is in it, or the juice is not able to penetrate it by reason of its hardness of penetration by that particular fluid.

The cure of dyspepsia then consists in

1. Adapting the quantity of food to the quantity of the stomach (gastric) juices already prepared.

2. Adapting the penetrability of the food to the capabilities of the juice.

3. In giving tone to the stomach by constitutional remedies, by which the gastric juice shall be larger in quantity, and more powerful in quality.

The things complained of by dyspeptics are numerous. Mr. Stephen H-, of Kentucky, writes March 2d, 1852: "I have a bad taste in my mouth. It first comes

in my throat, and then in my mouth. It makes me spit very much. I quit eating supper. That answered for a while, but not long. I then quit eating molasses, then meat, then milk, but all will not do. I am very hearty, never was more so. I never get up from the table satisfied; always hungry. I weigh a hundred and forty-two pounds, which is more than I have for many years. I would like to know the cause, and what would prevent it. At first it would come on three or four times a day, but now six or seven times; sometimes a pinch of salt will cure it for a while, sometimes a sip of spirits, but it always returns again."

The above is a case of beginning dyspepsia, truthfully described, and if attended to properly, admits of an easy cure in a very few weeks; if neglected, the patient will become more and more diseased, miserable, debilitated, and a bad cold, too long continued, settling on the lungs, will end in a permanent decline.

The rule is general, that dyspepsia, fever and ague, or any other ailment which causes protracted debility, lays the foundation for consumptive disease, not invariably, it is true, but in a vast number of cases.

CONSUMPTION COMMUNICABLE.

A truly contagious disease has one distinguishing characteristic. It occurs but once in the same individual, such as measles and small-pox; this latter terrible malady, does not return even when artificially produced, which is done in two ways:

By vaccination, that is, giving it to a person from the matter taken from a cow, the Latin name for which animal is vaccina.

By inoculation, that is, by means of matter taken

from a person who has himself had the small-pox. But it is not necessary to have the matter taken from a cow; if it is taken from a person who was vaccinated, cowpox is produced.

There is a disease in the heels of horses called "grease," this will produce cow-pox in the cow, and in man also.

The human system then has small-pox communicated to it in four ways.

From a person having small-pox.

From a cow having cow-pox.

From a person having cow-pox.

From a horse having the grease:

And it occurs but once in the same individual.

There are exceptions to this rule, as in measles. Now and then there does occur a case among inany thousands where measles and even cow-pox may attack the system the second time. From the most patient and scrutinizing observations extended through many years, the following conclusions have been arrived at, which I the more readily insert from the good, I hope it may do, if the suggestions are attended to by parents.

1. One single perfect vaccination does not always protect the system against small-pox for life.

2. Two vaccinations will.

3. The system is not fully protected until it ceases to be affected by vacine influence.

4. It is not safe to be exposed to small-pox in less than ten days after successful vaccination.

5. Therefore it is safest and best to have a re-vaccination in seven years after the first, especially in children.