(A dim. of morbus, disease). The measles. Variola cholerica of Avicenna; blacciae of Rhazes; bothor; bovilla; fersae of the Arabians. Dr. Cullen places this disease under the title rubeola, in the class pyrexiae, and order exanthemata, defining it a contagious fever of the inflammatory kind, attended with sneezing, watery eye, and a dry hoarse cough; on the fourth day, or a little later, small spots, crowded together, scarcely prominent, break out, converted after three days into small furfuraceous scales. He distinguishes two species. 1. Rubeola vulgaris, with eruptions very small, confluent, and corymbose, hardly rising above the skin. Of this there are two varieties; in one the symptoms are more severe, and the"course of the disease not so regular - the anomalous measles of Sydenham: in the other they are accompanied with a sore throat. 2. Rubeola variolaris, where the eruptions are distinct and elevated. Dr. Cullen, however, doubts whether this disease be truly measles; for the eruptions differ, and the catarrhal symptoms arc absent: in Scotland this disease is called the nirles. The measles appeared in Europe nearly with the small pox: both tame from the east, both are infectious, and attack only once; both appear at a definite period after the attack of the fever.

The measles is an acute disorder, of the peripneu-monic kind, sometimes only an eruptive catarrhal fever. Dr. Morton calls the scarlet fever the confluent measles; and Dr. Watson observes, that in the small pox the eruption is critical, but that in the measles it is merely symptomatic, for the cough and peripneumony are not relieved by it. It was formerly a common opinion that the measles are a good preparative for the small pox; but in general the former leaves an inflammatory tendency, which greatly exasperates the symptoms of the latter. All ages are subject to this disease, but it chiefly attacks children.

The measles usually announce their approach by a small, frequent, and dry cough, which often continues many days, without any other sensible complaint, though more frequently the cough is attended with a general uneasiness, successions of shivering and heat, and a severe headach in grown persons; great depression of the strength, a heaviness of the head in children, giddiness, hoarseness, pain across the forehead, an inflammation, with a considerable heat in the eyes, a swelling in the eye lids, a defluxion of sharp tears, and such increased sensibility that the eyes cannot bear the light, very frequent sneezing, and a discharge of acrid serum from the nose. Fever and a cough soon come on, with frequent vomiting, pain in the loins, a soreness or roughness in the throat, and sometimes a looseness, which relieves the vomiting. The tongue is furred, the urine high-coloured, and the pulse very quick, often irregular. These symptoms usually increase from the third to the fifth day, at which time little red spots, like fleabites, begin to appear in the forehead, and other parts of the face, which, increasing in number and diameter, run together, forming large red spots of irregular figures, scarcely, if at all, rising above the surface of the skin. These eruptions are afterwards extended to the rest of the body; but sometimes red effusions are seen on the breast, before any appear on the face. The eruption is not followed by so sensible an abatement of the symptoms as in the small pox; the vomiting usually abates, but the cough, fever, and headach, grow more violent: the difficulty of breathing, the weakness of, and defluxion on, the eyes, the swelling of the face, drowsiness and loss of appetite, continue, though the vomiting abates. A bilious vomiting a day or two after the eruption is often useful, and occasionally the patient is relieved by a copious discharge of blood from the nose. On the third or fourth day after the eruptions first appear the redness diminishes, the spots fall off in branny scales, while in other parts of the body they appear very large and red; but in a day or two they all disappear in the same branny scales, leaving a little discoloration on the skin, with considerable itching. On the ninth day from the beginning, when the progress has been speedy, and on the eleventh, when it hath been slow, no trace of redness remains. As the spots disappear, the defluxion on the eyes, the fever, and difficulty of breathing, sometimes increase, the cough becomes more troublesome; and these symptoms are increased by a hot regimen. These peripneumonic symptoms are often followed by a looseness, which immediately succeeds the disease, and often continues with obstinacy

6 L2 after all other symptoms are removed. After a hot regimen the eruptions sometimes turn black; but this chiefly occurs in grown persons, and is often fatal. If, during the course of the disease, or immediately after it, some considerable evacuation, such as the vomiting of a bilious matter, a bilious diarrhoea, a considerable discharge of urine, or plentiful sweating come on, the patient recovers soon after the spots disappear from, the skin.

The measles are sometimes followed by boils resembling anthraces, livid, often deep, suppurating with difficulty and pain; sometimes attended by soft pustules containing a viscid straw coloured fluid, which appeal-highly salutary, by watery vesicles, and occasionally by aphthae. Swellings of the lymphatic glands often follow, occasionally suppurating, and leaving, as usual, troublesome sores, which heal with difficulty.

Measles is generally a disease of little importance; but it becomes dangerous when the peripneumonic symptoms are violent, and when the eruption recedes. The most favourable symptoms, as in other fevers, are the moistness of the skin, and the bowels moderately relaxed. If the cough is inconsiderable, the eyes not much swollen, the breathing moderately free, there is little danger; but the period of difficulty is often when the eruptions begin naturally to recede. The peripneumonic symptoms are then usually violent; and if at any time the eruptions should suddenly disappear, delirium, anxiety, great debility, with cold extremities and livid spots, come on, terminating soon in death. If the lungs are affected with tubercles, they are often excited to action by this disease, and the foundation of a phthisis is laid.