When inflammations will neither disperse nor come to suppuration, it is apt to form hard tumours; sometimes they are indolent, at other times very painful. In this case, nothing is better applied, than _mercurial plaister_ (21), and especially if there is any venereal taint in the habit. At the same time, whenever tumours are dispersing, care should be taken to use internal medicines, in order to correct the acrimony, and a purge now and then, in order to incline the humours to be carried off. If, however, they incline to suppuration, poultices should be again applied; and to bring them sooner to a head, purges should be omitted, till after the matter is discharged. _Of Mortification._ A Mortification has two degrees; gangrene, the beginning, and sphacelus the compleated mortification. When an inflammation will neither disperse, suppurate, nor become indurated, but, on the contrary, increase with a burning inflammation, and is prodigious painful; when the swelling continually increases, the parts become uncommonly tender, attended with a numbness; the colour changing from a fiery red into a livid ash colour, and the cuticula seems to separate on the touch, a gangrene has commenced. In this melancholy case there is no time to lose.—Apply the following powerful medicine, which in a gangrene, and even a sphacelus, has proved beneficial to a miracle. No. VI _Take Mercurial Ointment_ (P) _one ounce; Calomel_ (N) _and Powder’d Precipitate_ (O) _of each one drachm; Oil of Peppermint_ (U), _one drachm; Spread this upon a rag, and apply it to the gangrenous part._ If a sphacelus has commenced, the skin turned livid, attended with a cadaverous fœture, and seems to the touch to be rotten, it must be scarified to the quick with the lancet, and then the above remedy applied. But if it has already reached the bone, (which a mortification soon will) and seems to make a rapid progress, all external remedies are of little avail, and nothing but amputating the limb can save life. But as that operation ought to be performed by a skilful surgeon, I shall therefore omit it here; only observe, that there are very few cases, but that this dreadful catastrophe may be prevented, if timely assistance is given. To conclude this section, I think it requisite to observe, that a gangrene and sphacelus, or mortification, is far from being so often the case as many from the pain they undergo, are apt to persuade themselves. A common boil, whilst it is in an inflamed state, is sometimes so very painful as to put the patient in a fever, and will be excessively tender. But, notwithstanding, a suppuration is the result.