Zoonomia; Or, the Laws of Organic Life, Vol. I

by Erasmus Darwin

From the quiescence of the intestinal canal a loss of appetite and flatulencies proceed. From the partial quiescence of the glandular viscera a swelling and tension about the præcordia becomes sensible to the touch; which is occasioned by the delay of the fluids from the defect of venous or lymphatic absorption. The pain of the forehead, and of the limbs, and of the small of the back, arises from the quiescence of the membranous fascia, or muscles of those parts, in the same manner as the skin becomes painful, when the vessels, of which it is composed, become quiescent from cold. The trembling in consequence of the pain of coldness, the restlessness, and the yawning, and stretching of the limbs, together with the shuddering, or rigours, are convulsive motions; and will be explained amongst the diseases of volition; Sect. [XXXIV].

Sickness and vomiting is a frequent symptom in the beginnings of fever-fits, the muscular fibres of the stomach share the general torpor and debility of the system; their motions become first lessened, and then stop, and then become retrograde; for the act of vomiting, like the globus hystericus and the borborigmi of hypochondriasis, is always a symptom of debility, either from want of stimulus, as in hunger; or from want of sensorial power, as after intoxication; or from sympathy with some other torpid irritative motions, as in the cold fits of ague. See Sect. [XII. 5. 5]. [XXIX. 11]. and [XXXV. 1. 3]. where this act of vomiting is further explained.

The small pulse, which is said by some writers to be slow at the commencement of ague-fits, and which is frequently trembling and intermittent, is owing to the quiescence of the heart and arterial system, and to the resistance opposed to the circulating fluid from the inactivity of all the glands and capillaries. The great weakness and inability to voluntary motions, with the insensibility of the extremities, are owing to the general quiescence of the whole moving system; or, perhaps, simply to the deficient production of sensorial power.

If all these symptoms are further increased, the quiescence of all the muscles, including the heart and arteries, becomes complete, and death ensues. This is, most probably, the case of those who are starved to death with cold, and of those who are said to die in Holland from long skaiting on their frozen canals.

[2]. As soon as this general quiescence of the system ceases, either by the diminution of the cause, or by the accumulation of sensorial power, (as in syncope, Sect. [XII. 7. 1].) which is the natural consequence of previous quiescence, the hot fit commences. Every gland of the body is now stimulated into stronger action than is natural, as its irritability is increased by accumulation of sensorial power during its late quiescence, a superabundance of all the secretions is produced, and an increase of heat in consequence of the increase of these secretions. The skin becomes red, and the perspiration great, owing to the increased action of the capillaries during the hot part of the paroxysm. The secretion of perspirable matter is perhaps greater during the hot fit than in the sweating fit which follows; but as the absorption of it also is greater, it does not stand on the skin in visible drops: add to this, that the evaporation of it also is greater, from the increased heat of the skin. But at the decline of the hot fit, as the mouths of the absorbents of the skin are exposed to the cooler air, or bed-clothes, these vessels sooner lose their increased activity, and cease to absorb more than their natural quantity: but the secerning vessels for some time longer, being kept warm by the circulating blood, continue to pour out an increased quantity of perspirable matter, which now stands on the skin in large visible drops; the exhalation of it also being lessened by the greater coolness of the skin, as well as its absorption by the diminished action of the lymphatics. See Class I. 1. 2. 3.

The increased secretion of bile and of other fluids poured into the intestines frequently induce a purging at the decline of the hot fit; for as the external absorbent vessels have their mouths exposed to the cold air, as above mentioned, they cease to be excited into unnatural activity sooner than the secretory vessels, whose mouths are exposed to the warmth of the blood: now, as the internal absorbents sympathize with the external ones, these also, which during the hot fit drank up the thinner part of the bile, or of other secreted fluids, lose their increased activity before the gland loses its increased activity, at the decline of the hot fit; and the loose dejections are produced from the same cause, that the increased perspiration stands on the surface of the skin, from the increased absorption ceasing sooner than the increased secretion.

The urine during the cold fit is in small quantity and pale, both from a deficiency of the secretion and a deficiency of the absorption.

During the hot fit it is in its usual quantity, but very high coloured and turbid, because a greater quantity had been secreted by the increased action of the kidnies, and also a greater quantity of its more aqueous part had been absorbed from it in the bladder by the increased action of the absorbents; and lastly, at the decline of the hot fit it is in large quantity and less coloured, or turbid, because the absorbent vessels of the bladder, as observed above, lose their increased action by sympathy with the cutaneous ones sooner than the secretory vessels of the kidnies lose their increased activity. Hence the quantity of the sediment, and the colour of the urine, in fevers, depend much on the quantity secreted by the kidnies, and the quantity absorbed from it again in the bladder: the kinds of sediment, as the lateritious, purulent, mucous, or bloody sediments, depend on other causes. It should be observed, that if the sweating be increased by the heat of the room, or of the bed-clothes, that a paucity of turbid urine will continue to be produced, as the absorbents of the bladder will have their activity increased by their sympathy with the vessels of the skin, for the purpose of supplying the fluid expended in perspiration.

The pulse becomes strong and full owing to the increased irritability of the heart and arteries, from the accumulation of sensorial power during their quiescence, and to the quickness of the return of the blood from the various glands and capillaries. This increased action of all the secretory vessels does not occur very suddenly, nor universally at the same time. The heat seems to begin about the center, and to be diffused from thence irregularly to the other parts of the system. This may be owing to the situation of the parts which first became quiescent and caused the fever-fit, especially when a hardness or tumour about the præcordia can be felt by the hand; and hence this part, in whatever viscus it is seated, might be the first to regain its natural or increased irritability.

[3]. It must be here noted, that, by the increased quantity of heat, and of the impulse of the blood at the commencement of the hot fit, a great increase of stimulus is induced, and is now added to the increased irritability of the system, which was occasioned by its previous quiescence. This additional stimulus of heat and momentum of the blood augments the violence of the movements of the arterial and glandular system in an increasing ratio. These violent exertions still producing more heat and greater momentum of the moving fluids, till at length the sensoral power becomes wasted by this great stimulus beneath its natural quantity, and predisposes the system to a second cold fit.