A Treatise on Fever

by Southwood Smith

I have now laid before the reader all that I have been able to learn of this frequent and most formidable disease. I am conscious that some of the views which have been exhibited are opposed to the prevalent doctrines of the day, and that some parts of the treatment recommended must appear to many unnecessary and hazardous. But since I have suggested no doctrine which has not been deduced from a long and careful study of the phenomena, and recommended no practice which has not been derived from large experience, I trust that the former will not be rejected without examination, nor the latter condemned until its failure have been witnessed. I have opposed with earnestness, perhaps some may think with vehemence, certain opinions and modes of practice which I conceive to be pregnant with evil; but as I have never intended the slightest reproach or blame to the advocates of the doctrines I condemn, so I shall feel truly grateful to any one who will point out any mistake into which I may have fallen. Those who have studied this disease with the best success are the most sensible how much remains to be done to render our knowledge of it perfect and our treatment of it effectual. Many are the dark spots that still remain upon this part of the field of knowledge; many are the labourers that must work long and skilfully before they are removed; while, if the successful investigation of medical science in general contribute largely to the well-being of man, the successful study of this branch of it must be pre-eminently beneficial. It is computed that upwards of one-half of the human race perish by this fell disease in one or other of its forms: when this fact is coupled with the truth disclosed by the annexed tables, which shew at what age this malady is most prevalent and fatal, we become duly impressed with the importance of labouring to render our knowledge of this dreadful disease complete, that we may lessen, as far as possible, the suffering of our common nature, and extend to its utmost limit the term of human life, too brief when most protracted, but constantly cut short by this great enemy of our race, just as adolescence is ripening into manhood.

APPENDIX.

The annexed Tables furnish, in general, their own commentary. The facts established by some of them are curious and important. I lay them before the reader without observation, at present; but I shall have occasion to return to them hereafter.

Meteorological Table, with reference to Admissions and Deaths, for 1825.

Weeks.	Admissions.	Deaths.	Heat.		Moisture.		Wind.	Weather.
			Max.	Min.	Max.	Min.
1	6	0	54	32½	964	685	West. North.	Fine.
2	9	2	46	34	966	755	North. East.	Hazy.
3	16	1	46	34	1000	763	West. North.	Cloudy.
4	13	4	50½	32	984	711	North. North-West.	Cloudy. Hazy.
5	7	1	51	30	839	614	West. West by North.	Fine.
6	10	2	48	33	971	783	South-West, WbN.	Fine. Hazy.
7	9	1	51	38	870	820	East. West.	Cloudy. Rain.
8	8	3	47	36	962	659	East. North.	Cloudy.
9	4	0	46	36	932	538	West, North-West.	Fine. Cloudy.
10	8	2	52	34	966	658	West. North.	Dark. C. Hazy.
11	2	0	48	31	862	452	North. East.	Cloudy. Fine.
12	5	3	52	39	1000	598	East. South-East.	C. H. Dark.
13	12	1	61	42	807	347	East. North.	Fine. Hazy.
14	10	2	62	41½	904	522	East. North-West.	Fine. Cloudy.
15	19	3	63	46	844	470	North. West.	Fine. Cloudy.
16	7	2	63	53	901	553	West. East.	Cloudy. D. F.
17	12	1	71	54	801	538	South. East.	Rain. Cloudy.
18	4	1	67	52	907	516	South-West. North.	Cloudy. Rain.
19	10	1	63	53	712	516	North. East.	Cloudy. Fine.
20	11	2	74	53	765	442	East. West. North.	Cloudy. Fine.
21	6	3	66	54	905	466	West. West.	Cloudy. Rain.
22	6	3	81	63	748	449	South. North. West.	Fine. Cloudy.
23	5	1	80	59	774	404	North. East.	Fine. Cloudy.
24	18	2	71	57	721	421	North-West. South.	Cloudy. Fine.
25	11	2	72	58	800	472	North-West. East.	Cloudy. Hazy.
26	8	0	84	57	937	439	West. South-West.	Fine.
27	10	2	87	75	727	437	East. South-East.	Fine.
28	13	1	78	63	850	429	East. North.	Fine. Cloudy.
29	9	2	86	65	660	357	West. South-West.	Cloudy. Rain.
30	15	2	70	65	793	488	West. North-West.	Cloudy.
31	20	0	69	62	855	660	West. North.	Cloudy.
32	22	2	70	60	793	488	West. North-West.	Cloudy.
33	13	1	69	62	855	575	West. North.	Cloudy.
34	10	1	76	60	971	635	East. North-East.	Cloudy. Rain.
35	16	5	73	61	949	598	North. West.	Cloudy. Fine.
36	12	5	68	60	770	554	West. North.	Fine. Cloudy.
37	11	3	69	63	971	749	South. West.	Cloudy. Rain.
38	19	3	70	54	968	700	South. West.	Cloudy.
39	19	2	67	52	937	717	West. North-East.	Fine. Rain.
40	10	2	65	58	935	749	West. South-East.	Rain. Cloudy.
41	13	3	63	55	935	652	West. North. S-East.	Cloudy.
42	15	2	63	40	937	618	West. West.	Rain.
43	13	3	54	37	924	627	West. North-West.	Cloudy.
44	15	1	57	48	879	713	West. West.	Cloudy.
45	10	3	56	38	961	705	West. West.	Cloudy.
46	14	3	44	31	1000	557	North. North.	Foggy. Rain.
47	16	4	53	36	943	781	West. West.	Cloudy. Rain.
48	12	4	62	40	968	767	West. West.	Cloudy. Rain.
49	14	2	50	36	1000	790	West. North-East.	Foggy. Cloudy.
50	11	0	52	38	1000	762	West. East.	Foggy.
51	11	4	51	41	967	763	West. South.	Foggy. Cloudy.
52	9	1	47	28	971	585	West. West.	Cloudy.
Total	588	104

Meteorological Table, with reference to Admissions and Deaths, for 1826.

Weeks.	Admissions.	Deaths.	Heat.		Moisture.		Wind.	Weather.
			Max.	Min.	Max.	Min.
1	4	0	40	33	968	794	East. East.	Cloudy. Fine.
2	10	3	33	21	910	612	North. North.	Hazy.
3	10	1	42	17	963	745	East. North.	Fine. Cloudy.
4	9	1	40	31	1000	783	West. East.	Cloudy. Foggy.
5	9	4	50	39	966	709	South. East.	Foggy. Cloudy.
6	15	1	52	33	1000	702	South. West.	Rain. Fine.
7	10	5	52	39	968	110	South. South-East.	Fine. Cloudy.
8	8	1	52	35	1000	680	West. West.	Fine.
9	7	3	53	40	940	624	West. West.	Cloudy.
10	7	1	62	39	970	698	West. East.	Fine.
11	13	2	52	37	963	500	East. North.	Fine. Hazy.
12	12	3	57	44	87	74	West. North.	Fine.
13	12	2	62	56	60	76	West. West.	Cloudy.
14	13	1	62	58	63	81	East. East.	Fine.
15	9	0	54	49	72	80	West. West.	Cloudy. Fine.
16	15	3	56	50	61	74	East. North-East.	Fine. Cloudy.
17	5	5	58	52	59	68	East. East.	Fine.
18	14	0	66	56	63	69	East. West.	Fine.
19	10	5	66	59	60	76	East. East.	Rainy.
20	9	1	65	59	63	68	East. West.	Cloudy.
21	12	1	73	66	60	68	N-East. N-East.	Fine.
22	18	2	74	68	63	90	West. East.	Fine.
23	20	1	74	65	80	95	East. North.	Fine.
24	15	1	78	74	65	86	East. South.	Cloudy. Fine.
25	14	2	78	74	66	76	West. West.	Cloudy.
26	14	0	74	74	53	79	West. West.	Fine.
27	17	2	74	62	66	76	West. West.	Fine.
28	14	1	78	67	61	72	North. East.	Fine.
29	18	4	78	68	59	75	East. North.	Fine. Cloudy.
30	10	3	73	49	61	92	North. North-East.	Rain. Fine.
31	19	2	84	55	60	84	East. North-East.	Variable.
32	16	1	78	55	65	84	North-East. West.	Variable.
33	20	1	73	65	59	79	West. South-West.	Variable.
34	15	4	85	60	50	72	West. South-West.	Cloudy. Fair.
35	15	2	79	57	65	75	West. South-West.	Cloudy. Fair.
36	14	3	73	40	69	91	West. South-West.	Cloudy. Fair.
37	19	2	69	47	71	88	West. West.	Fine.
38	19	2	71	51	73	93	East. North-East.	Fine.
39	15	1	69	44	74	91	East. South-West.	Cloudy. Rain.
40	12	3	70	41	75	88	S-West. S-West.	Foggy.
41	14	1	67	42	75	89	S-West. S-West.	Foggy. Rain.
42	14	2	66	45	76	96	South. South-West.	Foggy. Cloudy.
43	12	5	69	40	80	96	West. North-West.	Foggy. Rain.
44	17	1	56	40	78	98	West. West.	Foggy. Rain.
45	10	2	50	31	78	98	West. North-West.	Foggy.
46	10	4	53	33	82	97	West. North-West.	Cloudy.
47	13	1	47	38	75	93	East. North-East.	Rain.
48	8	1	50	30	74	93	West. South-West.	Fine. Foggy.
49	18	3	54	33	82	98	West. North-West.	Cloudy. Rain.
50	16	4	54	45	87	99	S-West. S-West.	Fair. Foggy.
51	14	3	49	33	85	98	East. North-East.	Foggy. Fair.
52	11	3	52	34	85	98	N-East. N-East.	Foggy.
Total	676	110

Meteorological Table, with reference to Admissions and Deaths, for 1827.

Weeks.	Admissions.	Deaths.	Heat.		Moisture.		Wind.	Weather.
			Max.	Min.	Max.	Min.
1	10	1	49	18	98	74	West. North.	Fair.
2	7	2	53	31	98	85	West. South-West.	Rain. Fair.
3	14	0	53	25	96	76	West. North-East.	Cloudy. Fair.
4	8	1	42	18	95	81	West. North-East.	Cloudy. Foggy.
5	12	3	46	27	98	75	East. North-East.	Fair.
6	6	1	41	28	93	75	East. North-East.	Fair.
7	9	3	40	19	87	80	East. North-East.	Fine.
8	13	1	40	29	89	72	East. North-East.	Fair. Cloudy.
9	10	0	50	30	98	82	West. South-West.	Cloudy.
10	10	1	56	32	93	78	West. South-West.	Fair. Rain.
11	12	0	56	32	88	77	West. North-West.	Fair.
12	4	0	48	35	97	75	West. West.	Fair.
13	10	1	58	35	89	76	West. West.	Cloudy. Fair.
14	2	0	67	46	98	75	West. North-East.	Fine.
15	8	0	58	41	92	72	West. West.	Fine.
16	19	4	52	39	92	78	East. North-East.	Cloudy.Rain.
17	6	2	71	34	88	68	Variable. Variable.	Fair.
18	11	1	72	44	95	79	West. South-West.	Cloudy.
19	14	1	59	34	94	72	East. North-East.	Fair.
20	16	0	70	46	88	75	East. South-West.	Fair.
21	12	2	72	45	90	73	West. West.	Cloudy.
22	21	0	70	45	92	78	West. West.	Cloudy.
23	9	0	70	48	92	74	West. West.	Fair.
24	23	2	75	52	92	71	East. West.	Fair.
25	13	1	74	50	87	73	West. West.	Fair.
26	23	5	72	58	98	77	West. West.	Rain. Fair.
27	13	1	79	55	92	74	Variable. Variable.	Fair.
28	15	0	80	53	82	70	East. North-East.	Fair.
29	15	2	76	56	82	68	East. East.	Cloudy.
30	17	1	84	57	92	78	West. West.	Cloudy. Fair.
31	17	3	80	53	84	72	West. West.	Cloudy. Fair.
32	17	2	72	50	86	74	West. West.	Cloudy.
33	16	2	72	54	93	74	East. North-East.	Fair.
34	18	5	78	52	90	75	East. North-East.	Fair.
35	20	2	78	53	93	78	East. North-East.	Cloudy. Fair.
36	14	6	68	51	96	80	East. Fair. North-East.	Cloudy.
37	17	6	71	51	91	78	East. Fair. North-East.	Cloudy.
38	16	1	64	49	91	81	West. Fair. South-West.	Cloudy.
39	14	0	64	52	100	87	West. South-East.	Cloudy.
40	16	2	61	47	100	95	West. West.	Cloudy.
41	13	2	64	43	98	86	West. West.	Fair. Cloudy.
42	15	2	63	57	98	85	West. South-East.	Foggy.
43	16	2	60	37	100	89	S-East. S-West.	Fair. Cloudy.
44	23	2	57	39	99	78	West. North-West.	Foggy.
45	13	3	60	39	98	92	West. North-West.	Fair. Cloudy.
46	5	0	52	40	100	86	East. South-East.	Foggy.
47	12	1	45	25	100	83	N-West. N-West.	Fair.
48	15	3	53	41	100	96	West. West.	Cloudy. Rain.
49	9	0	56	36	97	80	West. West.	Fair.
50	9	2	55	38	98	86	West. West.	Rain. Fair.
51	9	3	55	39	98	97	West. West.	Rain.
52	17	1	52	31	98	87	West. South-West.	Foggy.
Total	676	87

Meteorological Table, with reference to Admissions and Deaths, for 1828.