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

by James Tytler

3. A Jewish rabbi, between 30 and 40, of a thin, spare habit, was bled on the 2d day, and died early on the morning of the 4th.

4. A Jewish boy, between seven and eight years old, of a pale, unhealthy complexion, was repeatedly purged, and had suppurative cataplasms applied to the buboes without effect. He recovered slowly. Dr. Russel was not called till the seventh day of the disease, and we are not informed when the purgatives were administered.

5. A Jewish lad of 14, healthy and florid, was visited on the third day. He had already been scarified in the legs, and bleeding was ordered; but, as he became faint, only a small tea-cupful could be taken away. The blood, after two hours, was found to have a soft and loose texture, somewhat blackish on the surface; but the quantity of serum was not greater than usual. It had appeared of a blackish colour at first. He had a vomit, draughts with spiritus mindereri; afterwards a diaphoretic mixture and acidulated cordial, and sinapisms to the feet. On the seventh day he sweated copiously, and was much relieved, but soon relapsed. On the 10th he sweated early in the morning, and had a temporary relief, but soon became worse than ever. On the eleventh he had three stools of black blood. One of these, kept for the Doctor’s inspection, consisted of about three tea-cupfuls, without any fœtor; the others were “inconsiderably small.” Some tincture of bark was now added to his usual mixture. On the 15th he had a purging potion which operated five times, had an opiate at night, and tincture of bark with elixir of vitriol was ordered twice a day. Next day he was quite free of fever, and quickly recovered.

6. A Jew of a thin, spare habit, who took no medicines, died on the sixth day. His wife, of a delicate frame, and six months gone with child, was bled in the arm, had “proper drinks” directed for her, brought forth a child in the agonies of death, and expired on the sixth day. They were extremely poor, and Dr. Russel says of the house they inhabited, that it “was one of those miserable dwellings which he had always considered as one of the receptacles of contagion.” It did not, however, appear to be so; for, though there were other six in the family, only one of them was infected, who died in ten days.

7. A youth of a delicate constitution, a French native of Aleppo, was visited on the morning of the third day. He had a carbuncle on his neck, which had been mistaken for an ordinary inflammation, and a physician who had previously visited him applied a galbanum plaster, ordering also some nitrous medicines; but the plaster giving much pain, it was changed for a common poultice. Live pigeons were applied to the feet. On the fourth he had a diaphoretic medicine, and his drinks were acidulated with spirit of vitriol. The symptoms increasing, sinapisms were applied to the feet, but without effect. Cataplasms of garlic were applied next night; he had two copious black stools, not very fœtid, and two bilious ones in the morning of the sixth. By these stools he was greatly weakened, and was ordered a cordial with diascordium. He had another stool, and became much worse. Cataplasms were applied without effect, and he died on the seventh day. This patient had a great number of eruptions; but, though six people attended him constantly, none of them were infected.

8. A Jewish girl of nine years old, of a delicate frame, and sprightly disposition, was visited on the 4th day. The usual regimen and medicines were ordered, but she could not be prevailed on to take any thing besides an acidulated cordial. Palm-oil was externally applied to a carbuncle near the corner of the mouth, about an inch long, and the third of an inch broad. This seemed to ease the pain, but did not prevent it from spreading. The face was also strangely disfigured by three or four streaks of a pale red colour, shooting up on each side from the cheeks towards the temples. The gangrene spread rapidly, and she died on the evening of the tenth day.

9. A stout, healthy Armenian youth, about 20, was visited on the first day, and took a vomit of ipecacuanha, which brought up a good deal of bile. An anodyne was given at night, but without effect. He took no medicines afterwards but an acidulated cordial. On the third he eat a quantity of cherries, and drank some iced water. He died on the fourth. Here the infection spread violently, only one out of six in the same house escaping the disease. Three died.

10. An Armenian woman in the seventh month of her pregnancy. She was bled the first day, had afterwards diaphoretic boluses, but did not sweat. On the third day she was delivered of a dead child, and seemed much better, but died at night. After death the body was entirely covered with purple marks.

11. A boy was bled and had an alexipharmic mixture the first day. A diarrhœa came on, and diascordium was added to the mixture without success. He died the third night. The infection was violent, only one in the house escaping.

12. A Jew of middle age and gross habit of body was bled on the second day. He was visited on the fifth, had diaphoretic powders, and sinapisms were ordered without success. He died on the 6th.