er the patient leaves the
bath; and the subsequent heat approaches by unequal flushings, and he feels
himself disordered for many hours. Hence the bathing in a cold spring of
water, where the heat is but forty-eight degrees on Fahrenheit's
thermometer, much disagrees with those of weak or inirritable habits of
body; who possess so little sensorial power, that they cannot without
injury bear to have it diminished even for a short time; but who can
nevertheless bear the more temperate coldness of Buxton bath, which is
about eighty degrees of heat, and which strengthens them, and makes them by
habit less liable to great quiescence from small variations of cold, and
thence less liable to be disordered by the unavoidable accidents of life.
Hence it appears, why people of these inirritable constitutions, which is
another expression for sensorial deficiency, are often much injured by
bathing in a cold spring of water; and why they should continue but a very
short time in baths, which are colder than their bodies; and should
gradually increase both the degree of coldness of the water, and the time
of their continuance in it, if they would obtain salutary effects from cold
immersions. See Sect. XII. 2. 1.

On the other hand, in all cases where the heat of the external surface of
the body, or of the internal surface of the lungs, is greater than natural,
the use of exposure to cool air may be deduced. In fever-fits attended with
strength, that is with great quantity of sensorial power, it removes the
additional stimulus of heat from the surfaces above mentioned, and thus
prevents their excess of useless motion; and in fever-fits attended with
debility, that is with a deficiency of the quantity of sensorial power, it
prevents the great and dangerous waste of sensorial power expended in the
unnecessary increase of the actions of the glands and capillaries of the
skin and lungs.

4. In the same manner, when any one is long exposed to very cold air, a
quiescence is produced of the cutaneous and pulmonary capillaries and
absorbents, owing to the deficiency of their usual stimulus of heat; and
this quiescence of so great a quantity of vessels affects, by irritative
association, the whole absorbent and glandular system, which becomes in a
greater or less degree quiescent, and a cold fit of fever is produced.

If the deficiency of the stimulus of heat is very great, the quiescence
becomes so general as to extinguish life, as in those wh