Sec. 331. This Disease begins with a general Coldness rather than a Shivering, which lasts some Hours; the Patient's Strength soon abates, and he feels sharp Pains in his Belly, which sometimes continue for several Hours, before the Flux begins. He is affected with _Vertigos_, or Swimmings in the Head, with Reachings to vomit, and grows pale; his Pulse at the same Time being very little, if at all, feverish, but commonly small, and at length the Purging begins. The first Stools are often thin, and yellowish; but in a little Time they are mixt with a viscid ropy Matter, which is often tinged with Blood. Their Colour and Consistence are various too, being either brown, greenish or black, thinner or thicker, and foetid: The Pains increase before each of the Discharges, which grow very frequent, to the Number of eight, ten, twelve or fifteen in an Hour: then the Fundament becomes considerably irritated, and the _Tenesmus_ (which is a great Urgency to go to Stool, though without any Effect) is joined to the Dysentery or Flux, and often brings on a Protrusion or falling down of the Fundament, the Patient being now most severely afflicted. Worms are sometimes voided, and glairy hairy Humours, resembling Pieces or Peelings of Guts, and sometimes Clots of Blood. If the Distemper rises to a violent Height, the Guts become inflamed, which terminates either in Suppuration or in Mortification; the miserable Patient discharges _Pus_, or black and foetid watery Stools: the Hiccup supervenes; he grows delirious; his Pulse sinks; and he falls into cold Sweats and Faintings which terminate in Death. A kind of Phrenzy, or raging _Delirium_, sometimes comes on before the Minute of Expiration. I have seen a very unusual Symptom accompany this Disease in two Persons, which was an Impossibility of swallowing, for three Days before Death. But in general this Distemper is not so extremely violent; the Discharges are less frequent, being from twenty-five to forty within a Day and Night. Their Contents are less various and uncommon, and mixed with very little Blood; the Patient retains more Strength; the Number of Stools gradually decrease; the Blood disappears; the Consistence of the Discharges improves; Sleep and Appetite return, and the Sick recovers. Many of the Sick have not the least Degree of Fever, nor of Thirst, which perhaps is less common in this Disease, than in a simple Purging or Looseness. Their Urine sometimes is but in a small Quantity; and many Patients have ineffectual Endeavours to pass it, to their no small Affliction and Restlessness.