Diseases > Domestic medicine

DOMESTIC MEOICINB. 433
sition from cold to heat; breathing air that is de¬
prived of its proper spring or elasticity; great fatigue;
excessive weakness ; loss of blood; long fasting;
fear, grief, and other violent passions or affections of
the mind.
It is well known that persons who have been long
exposed to cold, often faint or fall into a swoon,
upon coming into the house, especially if they drink
hot liquor, or sit near a large fire. This might easily
be prevented by people taking care not to go into a
warm room immediately after they have been exposed
to the cold air, to approach the fire gradually, and
not to eat or drink any thing hot, till the body has
been gradually brought into a warm temperature.
When any one, in consequence of neglecting these
precautions, falls into a swoon, he ought immediately
to be removed to a cooler apartment, to have ligatures
applied above his knees and elbows, and to have his
hands and face sprinkled with vinegar or cold water.
He should likewise be made to smell to vinegar, and
should have a spoonful or two of water, if he can
swallow, with about a third part of vinegar mixed with
it, poured into his mouth. If these should not
remove the complaint, it will be necessary to bleed
the patient, and afterwards to give him a clyster.
As air that is breathed frequently loses its elasti¬
city or spring, it is no wonder if persons who respire
in it often fall into a swoon or fainting fit. They are
in this case deprived of the very principle of life.
Hence it is that fainting fits are so frequent in all
crowded assemblies, especially in hot seasons. Such
Its, however, must be considered as a kind of tem¬
porary death; and, to the weak and delicate, they
sometimes prove fatal. They ought therefore with
the utmost care to be guarded against. The method
of doing this is obvious. Let assembly-rooms, and