THESE Tokens did differ in Regard to their Colour and Hardness; of their Colour we shall speak hereafter: Their Hardness I used to try with a Needle or Penknife, to see whether the Sense and Life was perished or not; in which Trials I found a great deal of Difference, as some would be penetrated with very little Trouble, when others were even callous and horny, and difficult to be penetrated. The Origin of these I conjecture to be from the nervous Juice, or some gelatinous Substance evaporated into a gummy Consistence, not unlike those horny Excrescencies from the Bones; their Colour and Affinity in many Respects with Wharts is also remarkable.
AND here I cannot pass by an Instance worth Observation, of a Girl who came to my House full of Sadness and Consternation, already even to sink down; upon Examination she told me that she had broke out from an House where she was shut up with a Nurse, all the rest of the Family being dead, to shew me the certain Forerunner of Death upon her, saying she had the Tokens upon her Leg; but I soon found a Mistake that might have been fatal to her, for it was only a Whart, which neither she nor the Nurse had ever taken Notice of before; she was soon undeceiv’d, and by my Encouragement shook off all her Fear; returning Home chearful to take those Medicines which were directed to carry off the Disorders upon her, and sweating her plentifully removed all Suspicion of the Contagion: But I really believe, that had not her Mind been soon made easie, by what was said to her, she would have died merely by the Force of her Imagination; as such a Dread extreamly aggravates the least Complaints.
BUT some of these Tokens were not only so like in Appearance to Wharts, that
they deceived this young Girl, for sometimes even the Surgeons mistook them; and I was beholden to the Management beforementioned of pricking through them to be satisfied sometimes my self, as well as to know the Degrees of Malignity in the Venom of the true Tokens; where I found quickly a Sensibility, I took it for a good Sign, and those which went no further than the Skin, would oftentimes slough off; whereas when they went deeper, they were deemed dangerous, especially when the Part lost its Feeling, and threatned Sphacelation. There were likewise some found so extreamly comatous, that the whole Body was deprived of Sense; insomuch that if any Limb, or Part clear of the Tokens, was tried by Puncture, or Incision, there would be no more felt than upon the deadly Marks themselves; notwithstanding which Insensibility of Body, some Faculties of the Mind would return and be perceived even till Death.
THE Viscera also, as well as the external Parts, would sometimes be marked with these Characters, nay, sometimes it appeared, that the Inwards were affected,
when nothing of the Tokens were seen externally.
THE Magnitude of the Tokens were various, sometimes as small as a Pin’s Head, and at others larger, and as broad as a Silver Peny; there were indeed Instances of many running into one, but this was but seldom in the late Sickness.
LASTLY, Some were depressed, and others prominent, and some did not appear till the infected Person was dead; so that it did not suffice to kill, but also to leave Marks of its Triumph; but some of the crafty Nurses would put the dead Body immediately into wet Cloaths, whereby they stopped the further Fermentation of the Juices, and restrained such Eruption, in Order to elude the Magistrates Notice and Power, to shut up the Houses.
BUT how much soever these deep Marks were the sure Fore-warnings of Death, yet sometimes they would be out from the fourth Day before, and remain all that while as terrible Admonitions both to the Sick and others.