Treatment of the tubercular diathesis. 1. To improve the
general health and the depraved condition of the blood. If
the causes of the altered condition of the blood can be ascer-
tained, they should if possible be removed. The patient
should be well fed, housed, and clothed, and made to take free
exercise in the open air. Any derangement of the digestive
organs that may be present should be rectified, and the state of
the excretions carefully attended to. The food should contain a
lange proportion of protein constituents, and should be adapted
in quantity to the patient's power of digestion. A tonic
regimen and tonic medicines, sea air, or even a sea voyage
are often serviceable.
2. To guard against irregular distributions of blood, and to remove them when they have occurred. Nothing is probably more effectual in preventing local congestions and determinations of blood, than the maintenance of a state of vigorous health. Much in addition may be effected by attention to clothing and protection from sudden changes of temperature.
3. To remove the tubercular deposition. The means to be adopted with this object will be considered in Special Pathology.
CHAPTER VI.
IDIOPATHIC FEVER.
Idiopathic is distinguished from sympathetic fever, already described (page 45), by not being dependent upon local imflammation. This, it is true, may be and often is present, but it is not the cause of the fever, and very generally indeed occurs subsequently to its commencement, as a consequence of that derangement of the circulation which is the necessary accom- paniment of the febrile state. The prominent symptoms of fever or pyrexia have been stated (page 46). The only one of them, however, which is constant, is increase of temper- ature, and which may be ascertained by the thermometer, even when the surface appears cold and the patient is shivering.
