The state of the urine has also afforded numerous prognostics, and the discrimination of its clouds, its sediment, etc. have been peculiarly minute. The greater number of these appearances may be disregarded. In general, a scum on the top, in the early period of fevers, seems to show considerable debility; and we have usually found such fevers slow and tedious. A cloud, suspended at first near the top, and afterwards falling lower till it. in succession reaches the bottom, of the glass, are favourable signs; and a suspended cloud, previous to the fourteenth day, shows that the disease will terminate at that period. If it appear after the fourteenth day, the disease terminates at the twenty-first, gradually lessening on the intervening days. The red sediment is almost peculiar to intermittents and gouty habits; but a salutary sediment is usually of a reddish cast, though it is sometimes white, and of the consistence of mucus.

The appearances on the tongue are more obvious. The fur on the tongue, in fevers, is a change which takes place in its papillae: it is by no means, as has been represented, inspissated mucus; nor will any rubbing take it. away. The fur first appears in the back part of the tongue, and extends from thence in a long stripe through the middle. For many days the top and the edges are clean, the fur white, or of a light brown. After some time the colour becomes dark, and often, at last, the whole tongue dry, hard, insensible, and incapable of motion. The first favourable change is a little softness at its edge, or tip, which gradually extends in a direction opposite to that in which the tongue was covered. Every softness is not, however, equally favourable. About the eighth or tenth day the tongue will sometimes grow soft, and apparently clean; but instead of the healthy speckled appearance, it is uniformly red and shining. In these circumstances it again grows dry, but not furred; and this usually happens when the fever is protracted to the twentieth day. A blackness of the tongue is considered as a fatal symptom; but we have seen in such circumstances as many recoveries as deaths.

The cure of fever is a subject of peculiar difficulty, and to examine it in all its details would extend this article very far beyond its due proportion. • We shall prefer giving a comprehensive outline; and will admit that we have unreasonably misspent the reader's time, if the whole that has been said on this subject does not shorten and elucidate our present inquiry.

The first question which arises is, whether fever is a disease or a remedy? Had not this been started by authors of credit, it would have appeared too ridiculous to have merited a moment's notice. In fact there is but one case in which increased heat has been suspected of a salutary tendency; viz. in cases of obstruction. The old opinion was, that obstructions in the liver, or other viscera, arising from agues improperly or prematurely stopped, might be removed by a return of the fever. They might be, perhaps, removed by a more judicious treatment of the disease; but the fever itself would rather tend to increase them. Another case in which increased action of the sanguiferous system seems of service is palsy; and it was the former practice to increase the heat, which after a few hours from the attack supervenes, by stimulants of every kind. Modern refinement has anxiously endeavoured to remove plethora, or congestion, previous to the stimulating plan; but their success has not, we think, kept pace with the plausibility of the idea; and the former practice, ex-tn the young and the strong, who are very rarely victims of such a complaint, seems more advantageous. As we have stated that fevers consist in debility, it may be supposed that our cure is simple; and that the modern practice of •' throwing in"the bark will be at once enforced. Tonics, however, act chiefly on the moving fibres, and remotely, as well as weakly, on the nervous system; but the debility of fevers is that of the sensorial power, which, from the views stated (see Cerebrum)) we cannot separate from the medullary system of the brain. If, however, our tonics were effectual in restoring activity to this part of the body, they would he inadmissible in these diseases.

The first effect of the debility is, we have said, to confine the fluids to the larger vessels, particularly, for the reasons assigned, to the liver and brain. No axiom in medicine is, however, more certain, than that to constringe over distended vessels is to add to their debility. For such reasons, in all cases of plethora, particularly where it is connected with an inflammatory disposition; in all cases of obstruction, the bark is injurious. See Cortex Peruvianus.) it is necessary therefore; in all fevers, to overlook for a time their cause, and attend to its effects. Even the remote causes, when they have once produced the disease, seem neither to to nor modify it, and may be equally neglected. Two methods of extinguishing fever at once have been employed; the one consists in evacuations, and the other in the application of cold. We are confident if, on the first shiver, an emetic be given, followed by a warm sudorific, and within three or four hours an active laxative, so that the operation of the whole shall have been completely effected within the limits of the first period, the fever will, in almost every instance, be stopped or disarmed of its severity: and be no longer a disease. If the second period has commenced, the •Fiance of success is less; but we have succeeded. Beyond that time we can only regulate the progress of the disease, and conduct it safely to its termination. Cold, it has been said, by Dr. Kirkland and our predeessors, will have the same effect of at once checking fevers It is not true. Cold is a remedy of singular importance; it will greatly mitigate the symptoms; it will render the solution of a paroxysm more complete; and in remittents or eruptive fever, so far lessen the complaint as to be no longer dangerous; .but it w ill do no more.