Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 13, MAT-MIC

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why fliould not fomething be attempted to deftroy the
poii’on which the llomach feems to iecrete in the hydro¬
phobia, and which nature attempts to expel, though in
vain, by violent efforts to vomit ?
But whatever plan may be purfued in the hopes of
curing this dreadful malady after any of the fymptoms
have made their appearance, we ought, in every in-
ftance, to dire£t our immediate care to prevention, as
being perhaps the only real ground of hope : And the
moft certain and efficacious way of preventing the ill
confequences, is inftantly (if it can be done) to cut
out the piece that happens to be bitten. Dr James,
indeed, fays, that he would have little opinion of cut¬
ting or cauterizing, if ten minutes were fuffered to
elapfe from the receiving of the bite before the opera¬
tion was performed. But in an inaugural differtation
lately publilhed at Edinburgh by Dr Parry, the author
is of opinion that excilion will be of ufe a confiderable
time after the bite is received. He adopts this opi¬
nion from what happens in the fmallpox, where the
blood does not feem to receive the infection till fome
days after inoculation has been performed. A fecond
inflammation, he tells us, then takes place, and the in-
feftion is conveyed into the blood. In like man¬
ner, when the hydrophobous infeftion is about to be
conveyed into the blood, according to him, the wound,
or its cicatrix, begins again to be inflamed $ and it is
this fecond inflammation -which does all the mifchief.
Excilion, or the cautery, will therefore be effe<ffual
any time between the bite and the fecond inflammation
of the wound. Without implicitly trufting to this doc¬
trine, however, or confidering it as in any degree ascer¬
tained in what manner the poifon diffufes itfelf, by what
marks its progrefs may be known, or how foon the fyf-
tem may be irremediably tainted with its malignity, it
is undoubtedly fafeft not to lofe unneceffarily a mo¬
ment’s time in applying the knife. This, or a dilation
of the wound if it be fmall, Dr Vaughan confiders as
the only prophylaxies that can be depended upon. In
the latter cafe, he direXs to fill the wound with gun¬
powder, and fet fire to it ; which would produce a la¬
ceration of the part, and poffibly the aXion of ignited
powder upon the poifon may have its ufe. In all cafes,
likewife, after thefe praXices have been employed, the
wound Ihould be prevented from healing for fome length
of time.
Sp. II. The Spontaneous Hydrophobia.
Hydrophobia fpontanea, Sauv. fp. 2.
This difeafe very much refembles the former, fo that
it ha1' undoubtedly been often miftaken for it. It has
been known to come on from an inflammation of the
ftomach, where it wras cured by repeated and large
bloodletting ; in hyfteria, where it was cured by opium,
mufk, or other antifpafmodic^; and in putrid fevers,
W'here it -was cured by evacuating the inteftinal canal of
the putrid matters by repeated clyfters. A very good
method of diftinguilhing the two is, that in the fponta-
heous hydrophobia the patient is much more delirious
than in the genuine fpecies. In the inftance mentioned
in the Medical Effays of thi'-fymptom attending the in¬
flammation of the ftomach, the patient raved in the tnojl
extraordinary manner. Dr Raymond favs he remem¬
bers a fpontaneous hydrophobia attended with madnefs ;
CINE. ' praalcs
and in almoft all the cafes of hydrophobia which are Hydrophei
faid to have been cured, the patient -was very delirious. l)ia-
Dr Nugent’s patient was very frequently delirious, and
dreaded dogs as well as water. In the Medical Tranf-
aXions a cafe is communicated by W. Wrightfon fur-
geon in Sedgefield, Durham, of canine madnefs fuccefs-
fully treated. This madnefs indeed came on after the
bite of a dog faid to be mad : but it appeared only four
days after the accident happened, and was attended
with fymptoms very unlike any of thofe above mention¬
ed ; for he fuddenly ftarted up in a fit of delirium, and
ran out of the houfe, and after being brought in, caught
hold of the hot bars of the grate which held the fire :
Whereas, in the true hydrophobia, the patients dread
the fire, light, or any thing which makes a ftrong im-
preflion on the fenfes. It is probable, therefore, that this
was only a fpontaneous hydrophobia, efpecially as it readi¬
ly yielded to venefeXion, 30 drops of laudanum, and pills
of a grain and a half of opium given every three hours,
fome bolufes of mulk and cinnabar, &c. while in fome
of the former cafes as much opium was given to a boy
as would have deprived of life the ftrongeft healthy
man had he fwallowed it; and yet this amazing quanti¬
ty produced fcarcely any effeX. This patient allb dread¬
ed the fight of a dog.
Order IV. VESANI^E.
Paranoiae, Vog. Clafs IX.
Deliria, Sauv. Clafs VIII. Ord. III. Sag. Clafs XI.
Old. III.
Ideales, Lin. Clafs V. Ord. I.
Genus LXV. AMENTIA.
Folly, or Idiotifm.
Amentia, Sauv. gen. 233. Vog. 337. Sag. 346.
Morofis, Lin. 106.
Stupiditas, Morofis, Fatuitas, Vog. 336.
Amnefia, Sauv. gen. 237. Sag. 347.
Oblivio, Lin. 107. Vog. 338.
Memoriae debilitas, Jutick. 120.
Genus LXVI. MELANCHOLIA.
Melancholy Madnefs.
Melancholia, Sauv. gen. 234. Lin. 71. Vog. 332.
Sag. 347. Boerh. 1089. Junck. 121.
Daemonomania, Sauv. gen. 236. Sag. 348.
Daemonia, Lin. 69.
Vefania, Lin. 70.
Paraphobia, Lin. 75.
Athymia, Vog. 329.
Delirium melaneholicum, Hojfm. III. 251.
Erotomania, Lin. 82.
Noftalgia, Sauv. gen. 226. Lin. 83. 8tff. 338.
Junck. 125.
Melancholia nervea, Cl. Lorry de melancholia, P. I.
Genus LXVII. MANIA.
Raving or Furious Madnefs.
Mania, Sauv. gen. 235. Lin. 6-8. Vog. 331. Sag.
349. Boerh. 1118. Junck. 122. Battie on Mad¬
nefs.
Paraphrofyne, Lin. (56.
32S
32*
3«$
Amentia,