If the patient, as is generally the case, be weakened by the discharge of blood, his strength must be supported with broths, with herbs boiled in them, and with wine and water. Further, I order him every four hours half a dram of the bark, till the pulse is sufficiently raised, and a laudable suppuration comes on; he may then be allowed some meat, herbs, and food of different kinds of grain; water, acidulated with vinegar or spirit of vitriol, may serve for drink. When the suppuration is too plentiful, and the wound appears disposed to heal, I purge once or twice with Epsom salt, having previously for a few days administered some absorbent powders. During the day I make him drink a slight decoction of the bark, before and after meals a little strengthening acid elixir; and in the evening, a small dose of bark, mixed with a fourth part of an absorbent powder[22]. The following is the composition of the strengthening elixir; _Half an ounce of the extract of wormwood; of that of gentian, lesser centaury, green oranges, and buckbean, of each a dram; rectified spirit of wine, four ounces; and spirituous mint water, one ounce: Let the extracts be dissolved in the spirits, over a gentle fire; strain them, then add to the strained liquor, half an ounce of dulcified spirit of nitre, and thirty drops of oil of vitriol_. FOOTNOTES: [22] I do not easily comprehend of what service absorbents can be to wounded patients; but it appears obvious to me, that they must impair the efficacy of the acids, which are clearly indicated with respect to the fever, inflammation and gangrene: The only circumstance in which I imagine they can be of use, is, when the stomach, by taking the acids for several days, is a little disordered, which may happen when the patient has been much reduced by the hemorrhage; then a few doses of absorbents would remove this slight inconvenience. Otherwise, I am convinced, by repeated experience, there is no occasion for them, when the bark is joined with acids, as is judiciously done by Mr. Bilguer. TISSOT. SECT. XXIII. It sometimes happens that these patients, § XXII. are seized with a fever, it begins with great cold, sometimes even with a chattering of the teeth, which lasts half an hour, an hour, or sometimes longer, and is succeeded by a gentle heat, which terminates in about three or four hours, in a moderate sweat. The interval lasts two or three hours, at the expiration of which the fit returns; sometimes it is accompanied with a diarrhœa. The most common causes of these fevers, are either in the first place, a bad digestion when a person has taken too much food, or the food is greasy, indigestible, and subject to putrefaction; or, secondly, a reabsorption of purulent matter, which taints and inflames the blood; or, thirdly, a bad air, such as is very often that of an hospital, notwithstanding all the precautions that can be taken.