The remedies I used were,
1. Bleeding, in all cases where great pain and cough with a hard pulse attended. In some I found it necessary to repeat this remedy. But I met with many cases in which it was forbidden by the weakness of the pulse, and by other marks of a feeble action in the blood-vessels.
2. Vomits. These were very useful in removing a nausea; they likewise favoured the eruption of the measles.
3. Demulcent and diluting drinks. These were barley water, bran, and flaxseed tea, dried cherry and raw apple water, also beverage, and cyder and water. The last drink I found to be the most agreeable to my patients of any that have been mentioned.
4. Blisters to the neck, sides, and extremities, according to the symptoms. They were useful in every stage of the disease.
5. Opiates. These were given not only at night, but in small doses during the day, when a troublesome cough or diarrhœa attended.
6. Where a catarrhal fever ensued, I used bleeding and blisters. In those cases in which this fever terminated in an intermittent, or in a mild typhus fever, I gave the bark with evident advantage. In that case of measles, formerly mentioned, which was accompanied by symptoms of cynanche trachealis, I gave calomel with the happiest effects. In the admission of fresh air I observed a medium as to its temperature, and accommodated it to the degrees of action in the system. In different parts of the country, in Pennsylvania and New-Jersey, I heard with great pleasure of the cold air being used as freely and as successfully in this disease, as in the inflammatory small-pox. The same people who were so much benefited by cool air, I was informed, drank plentifully of cold water during every stage of the fever. One thing in favour of this country practice deserves to be mentioned, and that is, evident advantage arose in all the cases which I attended, from patients leaving their beds in the febrile state of this disease. But this was practised only by those in whom inflammatory diathesis prevailed, for these alone had strength enough to bear it.
The convalescent state of this disease required particular attention.
1. A diarrhœa often continued to be troublesome after other symptoms had abated. I relieved it by opiates and demulcent drinks. Bleeding has been recommended for it, but I did not find it necessary in a single case.