It appears however, from the experience of the most eminent practitioners, that the bleeding must commence early; that the first abstraction should not be omitted beyond twenty-four hours after the first symptoms of the disease, and should be as much earlier as possible. With very few exceptions they also think Gordon's standard of twenty-four ounces not too much. Indeed it is generally admitted that if the blood be not drawn _at first_ and in _large portions_, it had better not be drawn at all. There may be of course many peculiar circumstances that will make bleeding improper, which nothing but experience and observation will teach a practitioner, but the number of such cases is thought to be small. The use of leeches meets with but few advocates, and certainly they seem to have had but partial success, compared with the lancet. Dr. Collins of Dublin depended chiefly upon leeches and Calomel, but he tells us that in _eighty-eight_ cases _fifty-six_ died when so treated, while in _fifteen_ that were freely bled from the arm only _eight_ died. In short it appears that the bleeding must be carried far enough, _at the very beginning of the disease_, to cut it short at once, or it will be of no avail, it being of little or no use merely to _check_ it! In conjunction with the bleeding it is also usual to give enemas of starch and castor oil, or something similar, and to bathe the extremities in hot water. I know that this practice of bleeding meets with strong opposition from many physicians, and that it is objected to by patients generally. I myself am as much opposed to it as any one reasonably can be, and I am well aware of the numerous evils which follow it, but still it cannot be denied that Dr. Gordon's plan has cured a greater number of cases of _puerperal fever_ than any other yet tried. It is true that many of those thus cured may have afterwards died of dropsy, convulsions, typhus and other diseases _produced by the bleeding_, but then the risk they run of dying from these was less than that from the puerperal fever, and in a choice of evils we ought to choose the least. It should also be remembered that some eminent practitioners assert, if this plan be adopted _promptly_ and _fully_, it will _always cure_, or at least with very few exceptions.