bad
symptoms are produced; as weakness of digestion, with pale bloated
countenance, and tendency to dropsy. I have twice seen St. Vitus's dance
occur from the use of a mercurial girdle; and once a swelled liver. I have
also seen a swelled spleen and swelled legs from the external use of
arsenic in the cure of the itch. And very numerous and large phlegmons
commonly succeed the too hasty cure of it by other means.

There does not appear a strict analogy between the hasty cure of the itch,
and the retrocession of the pustles in the secondary fever of the
small-pox; because in that the absorption of the matter is evinced by the
swelling of the face and hands, as the pustles recede, as explained in
Class II. 1. 3. 9. Variola discreta. And a fever is produced by this
absorption; neither of which happen, when the pustles of the itch are
destroyed by mercury or arsenic.

Nor can these inconveniences, which occur on the too hasty cure of the
itch, be explained by those which follow the cure of some kinds of gutta
rosea, Class II. 1. 4. 6. as in those the eruptions on the face were an
associated disease with inflammation of the liver or stomach, which they
were accustomed to relieve; whereas the itch is not known to have had any
previous catenation with other diseases.

In the itch there exists not only great irritation in the production of the
pustles, but great sensation is caused by their acrimony afterwards;
insomuch that the pain of itching, without the interrupted smarting
occasioned by scratching, would be intolerable. This great excitement of
the two sensorial powers of irritation and sensation is so great, when the
pustles are diffused over the whole surface of the body, that a torpor
succeeds the sudden ceasing of it; which affects those parts of the system,
which were most catenated with the new motions of the skin, as the stomach,
whence indigestion and flatulency; or which are generally most liable to
fall into torpor, as the numerous glands, which form the liver. Whence the
diseases consequent to the hasty cure of the itch are diseases of debility,
as tumid viscera, oedematous swellings, and St. Vitus's dance, which is a
debility of association. In the same manner indigestion, with green
evacuations, are said to follow an injudicious application of cerussa to
stop too hastily the exsudation behind the ears of children, Class I. 1. 2.
9. And dropsies are liable to succeed the cure of old ulcers of the legs,
which