Most of the recent Fluxes, which I saw, were at first attended with a good deal of Fever, and Pain in the Bowels; and required more or less Blood to be taken away, according to the Strength of the Patient, and the Violence of the Symptoms. When the Patients were strong, and complained of sharp Pain of the Bowels, attended with a Fever, we used the Lancet freely, nor were we discouraged from bleeding in the Beginning by the low quick Pulse which often attended the Disorder; and we frequently found the Pulse rise as the Blood flowed from the Vein. But when the Sick were low and weak, without much Pain or Fever, and the Pulse was soft, we were more sparing of the vital Fluid[34]. [34] Although Bleeding, in the Beginning, has been recommended by _Sydenham_, _Huxham_, _Pringle_, and other Practitioners; yet it has been reckoned unnecessary in this Disorder by some late Authors. But in most of the recent Cases I saw, it was extremely necessary, and contributed greatly to the Relief as well as the Cure of the Patient; indeed where the Disorder had already continued some time, and the Fever was gone off before the Patient was sent to us; and the Disorder had become in a manner chronic, and the Patient low, then bleeding was unnecessary, and would have probably done Hurt. Mr. _Francis Russel_ told me, that when the Dysentery was epidemical at _Gibraltar_, in Summer 1756, he found that by bleeding such Patients as he met with at the first coming on of the Symptoms, and by giving them immediately a Vomit, and afterwards a sudorific Draught, the Disorder was rendered mild, and few of those died. As the Disorder was for the most part attended with Sickness in the Beginning, we gave a Vomit after bleeding; which not only discharged the Contents of the Stomach, and a Quantity of Bile, but relieved the Sickness, and frequently threw the Patient into a breathing Sweat; and made the Purgatives which were given next Day operate more freely, and with more evident good Effects than where no Vomit had been administered.--If in the Course of the Disease the Sickness returned, the Emetic was repeated; and we often observed, when the Flux was obstinate, that well-timed Vomits greatly promoted the Cure.--The Vomit we commonly employed was the Powder of Ipecacuana, which we gave from ten to twenty Grains; and where the Patient was strong, and we wanted to make a free Evacuation, we added one, two, or three Grains of the Tartar Emetic; which encreased the Strength of the Vomit, and commonly operated likewise by Stool[35], as Dr. _Pringle_ has observed.