Last week I saw a gentleman of Birmingham, who had for ten days laboured under great palpitation of his heart, which was so distinctly felt by the hand, as to discountenance the idea of there being a fluid in the pericardium.  He frequently spit up mucus stained with dark coloured blood, his pulse very unequal and very weak, with cold hands and nose.  He could not lie down at all, and for about ten days past could not sleep a minute together, but waked perpetually with great uneasiness.  Could those symptoms be owing to very extensive adhesions of the lungs? or is this a scorbutus pulmonalis?  After a few days he suddenly got so much better as to be able to sleep many hours at a time by the use of one grain of powder of foxglove twice a day, and a grain of opium at night.  After a few days longer, the bark was exhibited, and the opium continued with some wine; and the palpitations of his heart became much relieved, and he recovered his usual degree of health, but died suddenly some months afterwards.

In epileptic fits the patients frequently become black in the face, from the temporary paralysis of the venous system of this part.  I have known two instances where the blackness has continued many days.  M. P——­, who had drank intemperately, was seized with the epilepsy when he was in his fortieth year; in one of these fits the white part of his eyes was left totally black with effused blood; which was attended with no pain or heat, and was in a few weeks gradually absorbed, changing colour as is usual with vibices from bruises.

The haemorrhages produced from the inability of the veins to absorb the refluent blood, is cured by opium, the preparations of steel, lead, the bark, vitriolic acid, and blisters; but these have the effect with much more certainty, if a venesection to a few ounces, and a moderate cathartic with four or six grains of calomel be premised, where the patient is not already too much debilitated; as one great means of promoting the absorption of any fluid consists in previously emptying the vessels, which are to receive it.

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SECT.  XXVIII.

OF THE PARALYSIS OF THE ABSORBENT SYSTEM.

I. Paralysis of the lacteals, atrophy.  Distaste to animal food. II. Cause of dropsy.  Cause of herpes.  Scrophula.  Mesenteric consumption.  Pulmonary consumption.  Why ulcers in the lungs are so difficult to heal.

The term paralysis has generally been used to express the loss of voluntary motion, as in the hemiplagia, but may with equal propriety be applied to express the disobediency of the muscular fibres to the other kinds of stimulus; as to those of irritation or sensation.