oils.

The innutrition of the bones is often first to be perceived by the
difficulty of breathing and palpitation of the heart on walking a little
faster than usual, which I suppose is owing to the softness of the ends of
the ribs adjoining to the sternum; on which account they do not perfectly
distend the chest, when they are raised by the pectoral and intercostal
muscles with greater force than usual. After this the spine becomes curved
both by the softness of its vertebrae, and for the purpose of making room
for the disturbed heart. See Species 16 of this genus.

As these patients are pale and weak, there would seem to be a deficiency of
oxygene in their blood, and in consequence a deficiency of phosphoric acid;
which is probably produced by oxygene in the act of respiration.

Mr. Bonhome in the Chemical Annals, August, 1793, supposes the rickets to
arise from the prevalence of vegetable or acetous acid, which is known to
soften bones out of the body. Mr. Dettaen seems to have espoused a similar
opinion, and both of them in consequence give alcalies and testacea. If
this theory was just, the soft bones of such patients should shew evident
marks of such acidity after death; which I believe has not been observed.
Nor is it analogous to other animal facts, that nutritious fluids secreted
by the finest vessels of the body should be so little animalized, as to
retain acetous or vegetable acidity.

The success attending the following case in so short a time as a fortnight
I ascribed principally to the use of the warm bath; in which the patient
continued for full half an hour every night, in the degree of heat, which
was most grateful to her sensation, which might be I suppose about 94. Miss
----, about ten years of age, and very tall and thin, has laboured under
palpitation of her heart, and difficult breathing on the least exercise,
with occasional violent dry cough, for a year or more, with dry lips,
little appetite either for food or drink, and dry skin, with cold
extremities. She has at times been occasionally worse, and been relieved in
some degree by the bark. She began to bend forwards, and to lift up her
shoulders. The former seemed owing to a beginning curvature of the spine,
the latter was probably caused to facilitate her difficult respiration.

M. M. She used the warm bath, as above related; which by its warmth might
increase the irritability of the smallest series of vessels, and by
supplying more moisture