This young woman sat up the greatest part of several days after she was quite blind, by her own choice; and I do not recollect ever seeing one with so large a crop of pustules, who went through the disease so easily; for she made no complaint but of soreness, nor took any medicine but a few drops of thebaic tincture at bed-time, towards the crisis.
CASE XXVIII.
A poor man about 35 years of age, who had gone through the preparatory course, came to my house in company with several more, in order to be inoculated. As soon as he came into the room, I perceived he was ill, and on inquiring he told me, that about two hours before he had been taken with a fit of the ague, and that his head, back, and loins were in great pain. Feeling his pulse, I found a good deal of fever, his skin was also very hot. I knew the small-pox was in his neighbourhood; and thence concluded he was seized with this distemper. I advised him to keep abroad in the air as much as possible, and directed a pill of the kind already mentioned at night, and a purging draught the following morning.
These operated four or five times, and he persisted in obeying my orders; the fever and other complaints were not so high as to give any great alarm; he had a pretty large number of a distinct pock, and went through the distemper very well.
CASE XXIX.
About three in the afternoon I visited a middle-aged man, who after two days illness had an eruption, which the neighbours suspected to be the small-pox; I found him in bed, very hot, and in a sweat; his pulse quick, full, and strong; his face pretty full of small-pox, which had begun to appear in the morning. I received the usual account of the preceding symptoms, which had been pretty severe, and he still made great complaints of pains in his head, back, and loins; I immediately gave him a pill, containing cal. gr. v. tart. emet. gr. 1⁄8, which I had taken with me upon a presumption that I might want it: I also insisted on his getting up, and going abroad into the air, notwithstanding the sweat he was in, which it was my intention to restrain. I met with the usual difficulty in getting this advice complied with; however he was assisted, came down stairs, and went abroad, being supported by his wife; for he seemed very weak, and had not been out of his bed for two days before. As he complained of great thirst, I gave him a glass of cold water, and stayed about half an hour to see the effect of this treatment; he was at first very faint and sick, and vomited up some bilious matter, but not the pill he had lately taken; after this, while I stayed he said his head was better, and allowed he was refreshed by the air. I desired him to continue abroad as much as he could, and when he found himself tired, to go in and lie down a little; but as soon as he was able, to get out again, and if thirsty, to drink as much cold water as he pleased. I then took my leave, ordering a purging draught to be taken as soon as he received it, which I concluded would be at least three or four hours from that time.
Next morning, on visiting him, I was told that the purge had operated four times, that he found himself considerably relieved, both in his head and back, and had rested better than any time since he had been taken ill. The eruption proceeded slowly; but many more pustules now appeared in his face, and other parts, than before; he kept abroad, and his complaints continued wearing off. Next morning I found him quite easy; he was pretty full of a distinct pock, and from this time all went on well, without having occasion to take any more medicines.