PART 13
XIII. The severest and most troublesome disease,
as well as the most fatal, was the consumption.
Many cases began in the winter, and of these
several took to their bed, though some went about
ailing without doing so. Early in the spring most
of those who had gone to bed died, while none of the
others lost their cough, though it became easier in
the summer. During autumn all took to bed and
many died. Most of these were ill for a long time.
Now most of these began suddenly to grow worse,
showing the following symptoms :--frequent shivering ;
often continuous and acute fever ; unseasonable,
copious,
1 cold sweats throughout ; great
chill with
difficult recovery of heat ; bowels variously constipated,
then quickly relaxing, and violently relaxing
in all cases near the end ; the humours about the
lungs spread downwards ; abundance of unfavourable
urine ; malignant wasting. The coughs throughout
were frequent, bringing up copious,
2 concocted and
liquid sputa, but without much pain ; but even if
there was pain, in all cases the purging from the
lungs took place very mildly. The throat did not
smart very much, nor did salt humours cause any
distress at all. The fluxes, however, viscid, white,
[p. 255]
moist, frothy, which came from the head, were
abundant. But by far the worst symptom that
attended both these cases and the others was the
distaste for food, as has been mentioned. They had
no relish either for drink with nourishment, but they
remained entirely without thirst. Heaviness in the
body. Coma. In most of them there was swelling,
which developed into dropsy. Shivering fits and
delirium near death.