into good condition; rind we ourfelves took care, by drink* ing plentifully of butter-milk, tod by doing honour to the good fare Set before us in 'great abundance by thcfe worthy nifties, to make ourfelves amends for the hunger, thirft, and other hardihips we had Suffered for a whole month in the detert. Among other delicacies, we were entertained on the 3d o f January with a diih, as delicious as it was fitT* gular, taken from a couple of fcore of calves which had been caftrated that day. The women too ate o f this diih without bluihing. I have already mentioned, that I had had on my way hither fome little tendency to the g o u t; and at this place it increaled fo much, that on the 8th and 9th o f this month I could fcarceiy ftand on either foot. A ftiffheft with which the Sinews and articulations o f my feet were affected, and which -was attended with an acute pain and drv heat diffuied over the Skin itfelf, occaiioned me to think of the vapour bath, as being a powerfully emollient ■remedy. The quick relief 1 had feen afforded by artificial warm baths m two gouty patients in Africa, as well aS the benefits arifing in fimilar diforders from the ufe of naftrral ivarm baths in this country, added to my not being able to bear either the pain or loft of time occasioned by this dif- crder, induced me likewife ibon to make the experiment on myfelf, and thereby entirely overcome both the complaint in my foot, and the common prejudice, that the gout will not bear water. The apparatus was to the fttfi as Simple and eafy as the remedy. My feet were placed twice a day for three Or four hours at a time, on a Stick laid acrcrft a tub o f warm water, in which the Steam and heat were confined by means of '¿Icfths, cloths, and kept up by the addition o f heated Stones. At yjXtj-j. intervals 1 likevyife put my foot down into the water, but this did pot (eem to produce fuch Speedy and evident relief a« the vapour did, but rather produced a Swelling in the feet, with fome degree of fpafm. Within a Sew days I was entirely recovered, and about the fame time had the plealure o f refforing, by means of this bath, a farmer’s wife, who had befides a bad habit o f body, in Some degree to the ufe of her feet; though for feveral weeks befpre, by reafon of the pain and Swelling in them, She had not beep able to ftt them on the ground. Since my return to my native country, I have not been able to perfuacje any gouty perfon in Similar tircumfiances tq make ufe of this remedy ; though I can now likewife appeal to the qniverfally as well as juftly celebrated Dr. T i s s o t , who, in a cafe he has given to the public, endeavours to oppofe the prejudices entertained againft lukewarm pediluviums in the gout. (Yid. EJfai fu r les Maladies des Gens du mondp, p. 142. Laufanne, 17 72 .) The farmer’s wife above-mentioned, was one o f the two patients on whofe account I was obliged to make a longer Stay in this place, as I have already intimated. The other was a boy o f ten years o f age, who kept his bed upwards o f fix months with a fiftulous ulcer in the thigh, accompanied with a he&ic fever and great pain, all which were fuppofed to have proceeded merely from his having jumped from off a waggon three feet high. The part afflicted with pain, which afterwards began to ulcerate, had been dreSSed ever lin.ee, purfuant to a method as commonly prac- tifed in this country as it is prejudicial, with hot and lmtat- Z a iug
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