il the
patient is prostrated, or if he takes no drugs, and keeps still,
avoiding food as far as practicable, he may escape prostration, and
after lingering for eight or ten days, and sometimes longer, just on the
point of prostration, he begins slowly to get better, and recovers about
as slowly and imperceptibly as he grew sick. This is in accordance with
observation of cases under my own eye, and I have no doubt those cases
of spontaneous recovery, had they taken a single dose of active
cathartic medicine or any of the active drugs, they would have been
immediately laid upon a bed of sickness from which a recovery would have
been extremely doubtful. I believe that two-thirds of the deaths from
typhoid fever are the direct results of medication, and that those who
recover, do so in spite of the cathartics and the active drugs when such
are used. Some cases, however, will not thus spontaneously recover, and
require proper treatment; and it is safest to treat all cases, at as
early a day as possible. Some cases come on more rapidly and run into
the prostrating or critical stage, in a very few days. Delirium is a
symptom that comes on early in these cases. When the disease is fully
established, and even sometimes in the early stage, diarrhoea sets in
and runs the patient down rapidly.

TREATMENT.

In the early stage, that which might be called premonitory, while the
patient is yet able to be about his business, but is complaining of the
symptoms above named, he should, as far as possible, abstain from
exercise and food, and take of _Baptisia_ and _Phosphorus_ alternately,
a dose once in three hours. These will almost invariably produce
amendment in a few days, and as soon as he improves _any_, leave off the
medicines. Should there be diarrhoea present, use _Phos. acid_ instead
of Phosphorus. If the patient is delirious or has fullness and redness
of the face, the eyes red, and headache, give _Belladonna_ in rotation
with the other two. For the foul breath that comes on, use _Mercurius
cor._, especially if the diarrhoea assumes a reddish tinge, like beef
brine. Should the fever at any time rise high, the pulse being full and
hard, give _Aconite_, but it rarely happens that Aconite is useful in
the later stage. If the patient complains of pains in the back, and
fullness of the head, give _Macrotin_. This is particularly useful for
persons who have rheumatic pains in the limbs or back, during the fever.
If the evacuations