stances of an epidemic, a tolerable degree of harmony and unanimity of sentiment may always be found to obtain in Hospital Journals. I shall not therefore make any apology for the length of my Appendix, but earnestly request my readers to peruse, with attention, the cases there detailed, as it is from a careful perusal of them, much more than any thing I can say, that I hope to carry conviction of the excellent effects of bloodletting in fever. I would be very deficient in gratitude did I omit this opportunity of returning my warmest acknowledgments to the two eminent physicians, Drs HAMILTON and SPENS, under whose auspices I have acted, for their very handsome and liberal conduct, in allowing me to make use of the Journals of this Hospital, in illustration of my doctrines respecting the practice I advocate. Every one who has had an opportunity of witnessing the unwearied attention and humanity of these two excellent men, in discharging the duties of their important office, must esteem and admire them as much as I do. To Dr HAMILTON, in particular, under whom I more immediately acted, I shall never cease to feel grateful for the almost paternal kindness and attention with which he has honoured me from the time I first became his clerk, and for the many valuable practical instructions I have received from him; and it shall be my aim, through life, as far as my abilities go, to imitate the elegantly simple, yet scientific and vigorous practice which I have seen so often, and so successfully employed by that acute and rational practitioner. My best acknowledgments are also due to Dr HOME, Professor of Materia Medica, who has acted as one of the Physicians to this Hospital since the resignation of Dr HAMIL TON. my I likewise feel much pleasure in having an opportunity of returning my sincere thanks to friends, Messrs J. STEPHENSON, R. CHRISTISON, and E. TURNER, who have at different times acted along with me in this Hospital; and to whose unremitted attention and accurate judgment in drawing up the cases, I am indebted for being able to form the Tabular Views given in the Appendix. CONTENTS. Monthly Meteorological Tables for 1818, ................................................ 14 Account of the Present Epidemic,................ Observations on the Causes of the Epidemic,......................... 1st, Ten cases as examples of fever cut short at various periods of the 1 2d, Eight cases as examples of the safety and utility of repeating the evacuation of blood as often as the symptoms seem to require it, 20 3d, Six cases as examples of the safety and efficacy of bloodletting in 5th, Five cases to prove the propriety of bleeding whenever the symp- toms seem to require it, without any attention to the duration of 6th, Seven cases as examples of the successful employment of bloodlet- ting, both general and local, under circumstances formerly rec- 7th, Two cases to shew the utility of bloodletting in relieving the symp. toms and protracting life in those cases which terminated fa- APPENDIX NO. II. contains Shewing a specimen of the tabular form into which I have reduced the cases treated at the Queens- berry-House Fever Hospital, from its opening on the 23d February 1818 up to the 1st January 1819, and upon which the other tables are found- Shewing the ages of the patients, male and female,.. 129 TABLE, NO. V. Shewing the numbers admitted each month, male TABLE, NO. VI. Shewing the average day of disease on admission of the cases which terminated fatally, TABLE, NO. VII. Shewing the proportions of the causes assigned by TABLE, NO. VIII. Shewing the number of patients affected with parti- TABLE NO. IX. Shewing the numbers affected with particular symp- TABLE, NO. X. Shewing the numbers affected with particular symp- TABLE, NO. XI. Shewing the proportion of patients who had crisis on TABLE, NO. XII. Shewing the proportion of crises on critical and non- 133 14 135 136 TABLE, NO. XIII. Shewing the number of those which terminated on critical and non-critical days in the fatal cases, with the number that died on each particular day, ib. TABLE, NO. XIV. Shewing the average number of days when the pa- 138 TABLE, NO. XV. Shewing the average number of days the patients TABLE, NO. XVI. Shewing general averages in various stages of the TABLE, NO. XVII. Shewing the numbers and proportions of the pa- TABLE, NO. XVIII. Shewing the number of relapses happening when ........ ib. ............ 140 TABLE, NO. XIX. Shewing the numbers bled from the arm and leech- ed in the primary fever, with the quantity of blood taken, its appearance, also the number of leeches TABLE, NO. XX. Shewing the numbers bled from the arm and leech- TABLE, NO. XXII. Giving a tabular view of the symptoms and treat- 143 |