MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 361
of this misfortune, I found that on Monday the 30th of May {he was feized with a quotidian ague, which ufual'y began about three o'clock in the afternoon, and lalted near two hours, which was fucceeded by a hot fit, and then a violent fweat. And in this manner fhe was afflifted for feven days, without anv mate- rial alteration ; when, being in- formed by a neighbour of a perfon who had an infallible remedy for the cure of an ague, fhe applied to him. He brought her two phials, containing about an ounce and half each, of a pale yellowilh liquor ; one of which he directed her to take diredly, promifmg, that fhe ihould have no return of the fit of confequence; and that if ihe had any fmall return, the {econd bottle fhould cure her elfeftually. In con- fequence of which (he took one dofe, which was at the time the cold fit had been on about a quar- ter of an hour: /he had no fooner fwallowed it, but as (he fays, her flomach was on fire, and felt as if /he had fwallowed the ftrongeft dram pofTible. The cold fit left her inftantly ; but fhe was immediately feized with fo violent a fever, as to make her burn and be extremely thirfty ail the following night; much more than ever fhe had been before, till the next morning, when a fweat a little relieved her from the violent heat. When fhe rofe in the morning (he was much troubled with a greac itching in the hand., feet, and nofe ; and foon after, all thofe parts began to feel numbed, or, as (he defcribes it, as if her hands and feet were afleep ; which fhe took but little notice of till the evening of that day, when fhe found the nails of both hands and feet were turning black, and, at the
fame time, feeling great pain in both, as alfo in her nofe, and thaC they appeared of a darkifh red co- lour, like the (kin in cold weather. Upon which, at nine o'clock that night, (he fent for an apothecary, from whom, I have fince been in- formed, the perfon before mentioned had bought the medicine, which he gave her. The apothecary was not a: home ; his journe. man went, and finding the woman had a diffi- culty ®f breathing, ordered her a mixture with fperma ceti and am« moniacum, to be taken occafional- ly. The apothecary did not fee her himfelf till the i6th of June, when, finding hfr in a very bad condition, that her hands and feet, and nofe, were entirely black, and had many veficles or fmail bi-a^^4efs upon them, filled with a blackifh bloody water, he opened them, and let out the fluid, and dreffed them with yellow bafilicon: and in this manner continued treating; her till the 20ch of the fame month, when finding no material alteration for the betcer, he ordered her a brownilh mixture, of which (he was to take four fpoonfuls every four hours, which, he informed me, was a decoftion of the bark ; and fays, on taking this, fhe was better, as the mortification feemed inclined to flop. But as it was a bad cafe, he advifed the woman to be carried to an hofpital.; and in this condi- tion (he was brought in, when (lie was immediately put into a courfe of the bark, taking a drachm of the powder every four hours ; and in forty-eight hours taking it there was a perfed feparation of all the mortified parts. She was then or- dered to cake it only three times in twenty-four hours ; and, pur- fuing this method for eight days,
thci'e
