CASE XXIV.
A young woman, who was servant in a house where a child had the small-pox in the natural way, determined to stay there and take her chance.
December 25th, 1765, I was desired to see her. She had been taken with a cold fit the preceding afternoon, which was succeeded by a fever, and the usual symptoms attending the eruption, but in a severe manner. I found her in bed, making great complaints of pain in her head, back, and loins; her pulse strong, quick, and full; a flushing red colour in the face, and the fever very high.
With much difficulty I prevailed upon her to get up; ordered her to drink some cold water, and go abroad into the air, though it was a very frosty morning, with sleet. At one o’clock I called again, and found her then below stairs walking about. The heat was much abated, her complexion pale, the pulse small and quick, and all her complaints considerably abated.
The account I received from her, and the persons who attended her, was, that upon first going into the air, she was so feeble, that the nurse, and another to assist, could scarce support her, and it was with much difficulty that she could walk with this assistance; that she drank a glass of cold water from the pump, and before she had been abroad many minutes found herself much easier, and had remained so ever since. It now rained pretty hard, which had obliged her to come in; but she said if her complaints returned, she would certainly go out again, be the weather ever so bad, and in this resolution I encouraged her.
On the 26th, about eleven in the morning, I visited her again, found she had passed a pretty good night, and had felt no remarkable uneasiness; she had been abroad several times the preceding day, to which she imputed the ease she enjoyed. Two pustules of a distinct kind were now out on the face, and she had the disease in a very favourable manner, without the least bad symptom during the progress, or any ill consequence afterwards.