Inflammation may be confined to its outside covering, or involve the entire substance of the liver. It usually makes its appearance with sympathetic fever, pain, a sense of tension on the right side, inability to lie on the left side, difficulty of breathing, a dry cough, vomiting, and a troublesome cough. As the morbid action increases, high fever with hot skin, thirst, and scanty urine is observed. The pain is acute and lancinating, and is apt to run up to the right collar-bone, and to the top of the shoulder. The pain is increased by coughing, breathing, and lying on the left side. A soreness is felt by pressing over the liver, and usually, when enlarged, is readily recognized by the touch. The pulse is full and hard, bowels costive, stools clay-colored, and the tongue is covered with a dark-brown, or even black coat, and there is a bitter taste in the mouth.

TREATMENT. -- Evacuate the stomach and bowels and apply hot packs, rubefacients, or even vesicants in some cases to the region of the liver. The purges should be such that will thoroughly evacuate the bowels with watery discharges, as jalap, elaterium, etc. Promote perspiration by a spirit vapor bath, or by American hellebore, or other diaphoretics. When the urine is red and scanty, an infusion of marshmallow, pumpkin-seeds, or trailing arbutus should be given. Quinine, gelsemium, and irisin may be neceessary in some cases.