The causes of this disorder is a defective diet, contaminated air, and want of proper exercise. In regard to the diet, salt provisions and foul water are the accessory means, which not only impoverishes the blood, but gives it a tendency to a putrescency, whereby it loses its spirit, the lymph its gelatinousness, and the crasamentous part its resinous consistency. Thence the serum becomes sharp and acrimonious; the lymphatic part in the blood unable to nourish the stamina of the solids; and the red crasamentous part becomes crumous, and void of its vivacity: and as the solids must in consequence suffer in proportion to the state of the blood, from whence they have their existence, and become maintained, it must follow also, that they degenerate into the same state of corruption: thence we find not only a universal lassitude and debility in the limbs, but gradually the smaller vessels become unable to circulate the corrupt humours, break, bleed, and even mortify of their own accord, without any other cause than the putrescent nature of their containing fluids. Though the symptoms are in general too well known, not to be easily mistaken; yet I shall here describe this destructive disease in its various gradations. When a patient first begins to be tainted with the scurvy, he feels a lassitude all over his body, and a peculiar proneness to indulgence and idleness; work becomes irksome; and neither has he strength, nor inclination, to do his work with the same chearfulness as before. He sleeps more in general, but his rest is for ever disturbed with heavy and melancholy dreams; and particularly of that nature, as for ever to be engaged in escaping from some sad danger, but unfortunately that his limbs are so remarkably heavy, that he cannot move them. With these and the like labour in vain phantoms his sleep is disturbed, till at length he awakes, and finds himself more fatigued than when he first went to rest. The mouth is always foul and slimy, and frequently attended with a disagreeable taint. The appetite is depraved, and the victuals sits very heavy on the stomach. This is the first stage of the scurvy; and when a patient is sure of those symptoms, it is time some remedy should be used, in order to prevent the approaching evils; which gradually come on thus. The gums begin to swell, though not very sore; and frequently bleed either on their own accord, or at the least touch of any thing that comes near them. The breath becomes very disagreeable, even to the patient himself. The teeth grow dark, brown or black, become loose, and the very jaw bone, together with the roots of the teeth are exposed and seem uncovered from the decayed gum. Sometimes a scurfy itch ensues, and sometimes little spots appear. The body becomes remarkably weak, and sensibly falls away, and the colour of the skin gets a disagreeable tawny hew; which is most remarkable, together with other emaciated features in the patient’s countenance.