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Of lb. COSVULSlVE ASTIIMA.
A Nlfihma is ao imped ...d and very Jaboriol1s refpir:uion,
:\ttend~d with unfpcakahle anxiety, anJ a {lraitners about
the prxcordia, hindcdng lhe free:: circuLttion of lhe blood
through lhe luog5. arifing íTom varicty of caufes, and
nor wi thout dlnger of fuffocation.
Tbc.:re are reveral forts of aflhmas. One is, difficulcy
of brcathing. preceeding (rom corpulency and a very full
habit 01 body; and is moft appareOl after violent motian :
bu, ,his is a Oi¡¡h, diforder, . nd free froOl a)J' danger .
Thl! nexc is lhe pituitous aOhl1la, attended with a moiH
cough , and {he bringing up pituitous matter; it attacks
the palient al aU hours, and in all po(jtions of lhe body,
.nd jo: owíng to el plenty of a v¡(cid mucus, fiuffing (he
veficul:e of lhe lungs,. and hindering the free ingrefs and
egrefs of (he air through them. Another is owing lo the
convulfive contratlion of the p~HtS defigned for re(plratiLm,
and proceeds from variol:is caufes both wilhin and without
the ,hora,,; aod ,his is called ,he dry R.nuleO[ or convul–
(jve .Ilhma.
There is a heavine(s of the brean, a {]ownefs to per·
form cullomary labours, difficult breathing when going
up a hill ; lhe patienls gro\V hoarfe, cough, and are
trollbled Wilh frequent el uélations; they canoot Ocep,
and are fcarcely \V~rm in ehei r beds. As the difeafe grows
\Vorfe, lhe cheeks Iook red, lhe eyes grow prominem as
ir they \Vere Clr:mglcd; they fnore or wheeze while \Va·
king, bu, much more when afl eep; ,hey are fond or cold
air, they keep themfeJves in 3n ere(t porlure. and feem
to fuck in the ai r with open mouth: they are trollbled \Vith
fwcating abollt lhe neck and (orehead; then comes on a
violem cough, and the patiem brings up a little cold fro ·
thy malter. As they draw in theír breath, the n~ck
fw<lls, .nd ,he p':Ecordia are Plllled upwards; ,he pulfe
is (01all and quick. If it ¡ncreafes, lhe patieol is in d;;an–
gerof fuffocalion : but if it grows better, the fitS are fel–
dom, 2nd grea,er plen,y of matler is coughed up: ,he
uríneis more plentiful, but WilhoUl a fedllncnt; the voice
grows clcarer, the fleeps longer than are necelTary, thc!
pra:cordia are fet at Itbt:ny; a paín Cometimcs pa/r. S tO
,he fllOu lders: the brea,hing is flow and gentle, but with
• fon of a wheezing.
The Jon~er ,11Is difeafe cen,inues, ,he more fl¡arp and
violent al! ,he (ymp,oms beconJe. Thc pa,ien,'s body
grows more coHive, and the urine is thin and watry;
moti commonly ,he fee, f\Yell, ,hen ,he h.nds , f"e and
back; (hert: is a numbnefs of (he arms, the counten;tnce
i5 \Van and hvid. or oC a Itaden coIour. T hen comes on
a liule rever, whirh ~ro\Vs \l/orCe in lhe evening ¡che
whole bcdy is eachcllic, witll an reJel1l:ltous fwdJing of
the feel; thcre i~ a dropfy of the or an afeites,
or "nafMc:\.; ;;ar Jeait there is d palfy on one ficle, or oC
,he um; or, infle.d, '(¡treof a palfy of ,he eyelids . .
'\filen the dlre~r~ 15 rece nt, aud is owing only tO rhe
fpafmodic conu,léti"n of the pr:-ccordia, lherc ;'I re h,.pes
of a cure; efpecidlly if the maucr of the gom, ulccrs,
and eX.tntht.'nlat.I, otre fellt bótck tO thtir propcr fc.,t~.
\ \1l1rn lhe menfes or hXl1lorrhoid, which wt:rc lloppf!d
retoro, it yidcls relil.f, and, Ir (he di(.·afe \Vas not too far
ad van. cd. hc.<tlch . 11' it is io\'Cter:ne, or ¡JI Ola·
Vo •. 111. N° 73. 2
e 1 N E. t o t
n.god, i, brings on a dropfy or ,he brear!, obr!ruélion. of
lhe lower belly, <Edematolls fwcllings of the feet, a ca–
~hc"y. and an univerfal dropfy. In general, all convul·
hve allhmas ponend a fuddl.!n exit. or (u fFocation. erre .
c.ally ir {hen: is a polypus of the heart: if it caminues
Jong, lhen the patient wiJJ die of [he drop(y i in whirh
cafe it \ViII be ((JOn fatal; \\Ihen [here is a flo\V fe\·er. an
unequal in[ermining pulfe, a pnlfy of lhe arms, a con·
t¡nual palpltation of the hcae, liuJe urine, a fyncope or
(wooning, then death is al hand . Some are! carried off
by an inOam!l1;uioR of the lung:l. and the more gricvous:
,he difeafe ,he more l. nguirl Ihe puJfe. The a!lhma, ill
old pel fons, continues tdl death.
I n ,he paroxyfOl. becaufe ,he body is ~onerall y bound,
and lhe wind and hunlOur5 are carried upwHds, the
fpeedíefi alJilhDce is froOl emollient and carminativc:
clyllers.
A fterwards ufe (r¡(lioos of lhe feet, which have an io ..
credlble efficacy j alfo let them be pUl into warm w:uer ;
(or the feet are almofl always cold . When [here is a
v:01cnt fpaflll about {he przcordia, hot fomenrations are
necerrary, or bladders fill.d wilh ho, milk, and applied
to (he part affcétcd ; like\Vife nervous liniments are very
ufeful, ruhbed in with a warm hand.
100<rnally, an<ifpaCmodics fllOUld be given, \Vi,h gentle
diaphoretics.
And ,his is all ,ha! needs to be adminiflered in ,he fit.
OUt of lhe: fie, if it proceeds from too great a con·
genion of blood about ,he breall, or from a polypus of
,he hean, bleeding in ,he foo, \ViII be proper, as alfo fca–
rillcations ; in a fupprdJi an of the h:enlOrrhoids, Jeeches
fllould be applied 10 ,he anus ; alfo gentle laxa,ives 'o
cJe,m(e the prima' vite " likewife bodily motion, flender
diet, and (of, drink. I f ,herc are hypochondriacalor
Bato len t fymptoms, then gencle l.txative9 will be the nlore
nece(fary, together with clyOers. ' Vhen lhe menfes
or hzmorrhoids are fupprel1Cd, nothing is beltcr (han
the bath-waters, both for bathing and drinking i or the
warers of Seltcrs taken warm and mixed with milk.
Vvhen ,he a!lhma proceeds from ,he driving back fome
impure mattcr (roill [he lkin. or (rom (he drying up of
ulccrs, and the humoul is tranl1.tted to the nervous pílrts
of lhe breafl, then gcntle di~phorctics WI:! be ne¡;:elTary
'o fcnd i, back lO ,he fuperr.cies of ,ht body
After wlJlch rbe paticnt m.. y drink tea mu le of balm,
or elaer. or lime tree !lo .. ers, with (he Jeaves of fcordj·
um. or vcronlCd anu rcunel (~eds, or any thing elfe of
the fame kind. Rt.'Olt!cb .:s compollnued of !iJ lphur are
likewifc vCl'y effi¡;aciaus In Jrj\'in:~ b,lck lhe morbific mat·
ter tO lhe Ocin, lhough ""\{\'Inruly they ílre hurt(ul in cu·
tant!'ous udc;.t(,,;s
'rhe rcturns of Ihe rits al e tO be obfcrved and guarded
againn, by modera te CV<lCO:ltlOnS, as blt:eding .~.·ntlc
\'omits, l<lxittives, ana fomt:t imc5 c.ltharti,,:s: but e,'ery
thing dIal the! blood fhould be carc:fully avoiut.:J,
efpeci,lIy auou, ,he "f".1 ,i",,, of ,h. paroxyfOl s : be–
cauh: thcrt is ,~en~rally lhen a In king fever, which ought
not 10 be exafper... tcd by hcat'ng (ood or medicines.
In a dry 31th])) ... procccdlllj! (rom (1101('$ of II.!:lcl, 3n air
replc:te "¡Ih exh:tlations fruln ~luick IlIllc!, (lr the \"¡pours
01' pitcoal ; milk, cream, oil of {we l Jlllonus, cmulfions
t e e Qf