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.
CASE XXV.
Jan. 3d, 1766.] A healthy young man was inoculated in company with four of his neighbours. On the sixth, presuming that none of them would be ill, I went to London on business. Returning on the 7th in the afternoon, I was met by a servant, who informed me that this man had been taken ill on the 5th in the afternoon, had continued very bad ever since, and now had something broke out, which was suspected to be the small-pox, and that I was desired to visit him immediately: this I complied with, and found him in bed, complaining much of pain in his head, back, and loins, with great heat. Some small pustules were out on his face, which I perceived to be the small-pox; this was at five in the evening, and much about forty-eight hours from the first seizure.
The weather was at this time exceeding cold, and it froze very hard. I ordered him out of bed immediately, to drink a glass of cold water, and to get some assistance, and walk abroad in the air. Upon inquiry I found he had passed without a stool the whole day. Five grains of calomel in a pill were ordered to be taken immediately. He rested but little this night, and next morning a great many more pustules were out in the face, sufficient to shew a disposition to flux. As this pill produced no manifest effect, I ordered sal. glaub. Ʒvi. dissolved in water gruel to be taken immediately. The vehemence of the fever and other symptoms were scarcely moderated by this eruption.