a torpor of the stomach, and is transferable to every membrane of the body.  When the gout begins with torpor of the stomach, a painful sensation of cold occurs, which the patient compares to ice, with weak pulse, cold extremities, and sickness; this in its slighter degree is relievable by spice, wine, or opium; in its greater degree it is succeeded by sudden death, which is owing to the sympathy of the stomach with the heart, as explained below.

If the stomach becomes inflamed in consequence of this gouty torpor of it, or in consequence of its sympathy with some other part, the danger is less.  A sickness and vomiting continues many days, or even weeks, the stomach rejecting every thing stimulant, even opium or alcohol, together with much viscid mucus; till the inflammation at length ceases, as happens when other membranes, as those of the joints, are the seat of gouty inflammation; as observed in Sect.  XXIV. 2. 8.

The sympathy, or association of motions, between those of the stomach and those of the heart, are evinced in many diseases.  First, many people are occasionally affected with an intermission of their pulse for a few days, which then ceases again.  In this case there is a stop of the motion of the heart, and at the same time a tendency to eructation from the stomach.  As soon as the patient feels a tendency to the intermission of the motion of his heart, if he voluntarily brings up wind from his stomach, the stop of the heart does not occur.  From hence I conclude that the stop of digestion is the primary disease; and that air is instantly generated from the aliment, which begins to ferment, if the digestive process is impeded for a moment, (see Sect.  XXIII. 4.); and that the stop of the heart is in consequence of the association of the motions of these viscera, as explained in Sect.  XXXV. 1. 4.; but if the little air, which is instantly generated during the temporary torpor of the stomach, be evacuated, the digestion recommences, and the temporary torpor of the heart does not follow.  One patient, whom I lately saw, and who had been five or six days much troubled with this intermission of a pulsation of his heart, and who had hemicrania with some fever, was immediately relieved from them all by losing ten ounces of blood, which had what is termed an inflammatory crust on it.

Another instance of this association between the motions of the stomach and heart is evinced by the exhibition of an over dose of foxglove, which induces an incessant vomiting, which is attended with very slow, and sometimes intermitting pulse.—­Which continues in spite of the exhibition of wine and opium for two or three days.  To the same association must be ascribed the weak pulse, which constantly attends the exhibition of emetics during their operation.  And also the sudden deaths, which have been occasioned in boxing by a blow on the stomach; and lastly, the sudden death of those, who have been long debilitated by the gout, from the torpor of the stomach.  See Sect.  XXXV. 1. 4.