The case of pestilential fevers demands attention and a peculiar treatment. In this it is by no means good to try fasting, or medicines, or clysters. If the strength will admit, it is best to let blood; especially if the fever be attended with a burning heat. If that is not safe, when the fever is either abated, or less violent, to cleanse the breast by a vomit. But there is a necessity to order the bath sooner in this than in other distempers; to give wine strong and hot, and every thing glutinous; amongst which flesh of the same kind. For the more quickly that such constitutions of the air destroy, so much the sooner must remedies be laid hold of, even with a degree of rashness. But if he be a boy, that labours under it, and have not sufficient strength for bleeding, he must be cupped, and have a clyster either of water, or the cream of ptisan; then lastly he is to be nourished by light food. It is a general rule, that boys ought to be treated altogether in a different method from men. Wherefore in this, as well as in every other kind of distemper, greater caution must be used at that age in the following articles: not to bleed, not to give a clyster without necessity, nor to torment by watching, or fasting, or excessive thirst, nor to attempt the cure by wine. The patient must vomit after the fever: then the lightest kind of food is to be given; after that he is to sleep: the day following, if the fever continue, he must fast; on the third day return to the same diet. And we must endeavour, as much as possible in the midst of a seasonable abstinence to nourish him by food at proper times, laying aside every thing else.

If an ardent fever is very violent, no medicinal potion is to be given; but during the paroxysms the patient must be cooled by water and oil: which are to be agitated together, till they grow white. He is also to be kept in a spacious room, where he can draw a great deal of pure air; and not be suffocated by many cloaths, but be covered very lightly. Vine leaves also dipped in cold water may be put upon his stomach. And he is not to be tormented with excessive thirst. He is to be allowed nourishment sooner; that is after the third day: and before meat he must be anointed all over with the above-mentioned liquor. If there is a collection of phlegm in his stomach, upon the decline of the paroxysm he must be forced to vomit; and then he must eat cold greens, or fruit of the apple kind, such as agrees with the stomach. If the stomach remains dry, there must be immediately given the cream either of ptisan, or alica, or rice, boiled with recent fat. When the distemper is at the height, but not before the fourth day, after a great thirst preceding, cold water is to be given copiously, that he may drink even beyond satiety; and when the belly and praecordia are filled above measure, and sufficiently cooled, he ought to vomit. Some indeed do not insist upon vomiting; but make use of cold water as a medicine, given only to satiety. After either of these methods he is to be well covered with cloaths, and laid so as to go to sleep. And commonly after long thirst and wakefulness, after being satiated with full draughts, after a remission of the heat, a sound and long sleep comes on; by means of which a great sweat breaks out, and that is a most immediate relief; but only in those, who have the burning heat, but no pains, nor tumour of the praecordia, and nothing to prevent it in the lungs, or fauces; or have had no ulcer, nor faintings, nor looseness of the belly. But if one in such a fever as this coughs gently(7), he ought neither to struggle with a violent thirst, nor drink cold water; but to be treated in the same manner, as is directed in other fevers.