A Treatise on the Plague and Yellow Fever / With an Appendix, containing histories of the plague at Athens in the time of the Peloponnesian War; at Constantinople in the time of Justinian; at London in 1665; at Marseilles in 1720 - James Tytler


PART FIRST.
Of the Asiatic or True Plague.
SECTION I.	Page
Of the Plague in general.—Inquiry into the Antiquityof the Distemper.—Of the Plagues mentioned in theOld Testament.—History of several remarkablePlagues which, at various times, have desolated theworld.	[1]
SECTION II.
Of the Countries where the Plague is supposed to originate.—TheInfluence of Climate in producing Diseases.—Andof the Moral Conduct of the Human Race inproducing and influencing the same.	[21]
SECTION III.
Of Disease in general.—The nature of the Plague as aDisease considered.—Of Contagion.—Whether thePlague is Contagious or not.—Medical Historyof the Distemper.—Inquiry into its ImmediateCauses, and whether an approaching Plague is indicatedby any visible Signs.	[74]
SECTION IV.
Of the best Methods of Preventing the Plague.	[302]
SECTION V.
Of the Cure of the Plague.	[347]

PART SECOND.
Of the Yellow Fever.
SECTION I.
History of the Yellow Fever.	[371]
SECTION II.
Symptoms of the Yellow Fever, as described by variousauthors.—Comparison between them and those of thePlague, with an inquiry into the Causes.—History ofthe Distemper as it has appeared in various parts ofthe United States since the year 1793.—A discussionof the question Whether the Yellow Fever is Contagiousor not.	[382]
SECTION III.
Methods of Prevention and Cure.	[507]
SECTION IV.
Remarkable Cases.	[534]

APPENDIX.
N^o I.
Account of the Plague at Athens, in the time of the PeloponnesianWar:—From Thucydides,—Smith’sTranslation.	[545]
N^o II.
Account of the Great Plague in the time of Justinian:—ByProcopius.	[547]
N^o III.
Account of the Plague at London in 1665:—From Dr.Hodges and others.	[548]
N^o IV.
Account of the Plague at Marseilles in 1720:—Fromthe Periodical Publications of the time.	[554]
N^o V.
Account of the Plague in Syria, Cyprus &c.—From Dr.Patrick Russel’s Treatise.	[ibid].
N^o VI.
Remarkable case of a Remitting Fever at Bassorah in1780.	[556]
N^o VII.
Set of Queries furnished by Doctors Aikin and Jebb;and by Mr. Howard put to several foreign Physicians,during his tour; with their Opinions concerningthe Plague.	[563]

TREATISE

ON THE

Plague and Yellow Fever.

PART FIRST.

Of the Asiatic or True Plague.

SECTION I.

Of the Plague in general.—Inquiry into the Antiquity of the Distemper.—Of the Plagues mentioned in the Old Testament.—History of several remarkable Plagues which, at various times, have desolated the world.

AMONG the many diseases which afflict the human race, we find ONE, upon record, so irresistible in its progress, so fatal in its attacks, and so entirely beyond the powers of medicine; that, like the serpent Python, the Leviathan, or the Mammoth, among animals, it has generally been distinguished by names expressive of its destroying nature; not, like other diseases, by any particular appellation derived from its symptoms. In the Hebrew language this distemper is expressed by the word which signifies perdition;[1] in Greek it is called loimos, from luo, to destroy; in Latin, pestis, from pessundo, to overthrow; and in English, the plague, from the Latin plaga, a stroke with a whip; alluding to the common opinion, that it is a scourge from heaven, taking vengeance on mankind for their sins.