refuse matter is carried away by the organs of secretion and
excretion. The heat of the body in fever is generally diffused, the
pulse is quicker, there is dullness, lassitude, chilliness, and
disinclination to take food. We propose to give only a general outline
of fevers, enough to indicate the principles which should be observed in
domestic treatment.

Most fevers are distinctly marked by four stages: 1st, the forming
stage; 2d, the cold stage; 3d, the hot stage; 4th, the sweating or
declining stage. During the first stage the individual is hardly
conscious of being ill, for the attack is so slight that it is hardly
perceptible. True, as it progresses, there is a feeling of languor, an
indisposition to make any bodily or mental effort, and also a sense of
soreness of the muscles, aching of the bones, chilliness, and a
disposition to get near the fire. There is restlessness, disturbed
sleep, bad dreams, lowness of spirits, all of which are characteristic
of the formative stage of fever.

The next is the cold stage, when there is a decided manifestation of the
disease, and the patient acknowledges that he is really sick. In typhus
and typhoid fever the chills are slight; in other fevers they are more
marked; while in ague they are often accompanied by uncontrollable
shaking. When the chill is not so distinct the nails look blue and the
skin appears shriveled, the eye is sunken and a dark circle
circumscribes it, the lips are blue, and there is pain in the back. The
pulse is frequent, small, and depressed, the capillary circulation
feeble, the respiration increased, and there may be nausea and vomiting.
These symptoms vary in duration from a few minutes to more than an hour.
They gradually abate, reaction takes place, and the patient begins to
throw off the bed-clothes.

Then follows the hot stage, for with the return of the circulation of
the blood to the surface of the body, there is greater warmth, freer
breathing, and a more comfortable and quiet condition of the system. The
veins fill with blood, the countenance brightens, the cheeks are
flushed, the intellect is more sprightly, and if the pulse is frequent,
it is a good sign; if it sinks, it indicates feeble, vital force, and is
not a good symptom. If there is considerable determination of blood to
the head it becomes hot, the arteries of the neck pulsate strongly, and
delirium may be expected. During the hot stage, if the fever runs high,
the patient becomes r