A concise history of the autumnal fever : which prevailed in the borough of Wilmington in the year 1802 / by Dr. John Vaughan.

  • Vaughan, John, 1775-1807.
Date:
1803
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A concise history of the autumnal fever : which prevailed in the borough of Wilmington in the year 1802 / by Dr. John Vaughan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    great alarm, and on the 9th, the Board of Health address' ed a circular letter to the Physicians of the Borough, re- questing a collective opinion on the existing disease,'' to which the faculty replied that, A Bilious fever of a formidable grade has for some time past existed in our Borough, and attended with unusual mortality—Whether the disease be contagious or not, we are of opinion its present features demand attention ? It may, however, be necessary to remark, that the disease may hereafter be comparatively moderate or Violent, as incidentally influen- ced by the sensible qualities of the atmosphere. We beg leave to suggest for your consideration, the necessity of cleansing the lower parts of the town and re- moving all putrefactive materials from the streets, cellars, yards &c. without further delay. In addition to these recommendations to the Board of Health, it was mutually agreed, by the Physicians who then had cases of malignant fever under their care, to ad- vise an immediate desertion of the infected district, and a number of families removed forthwith into the country. Some, who might have removed were, detained balancing between their hopes and fears until overtaken by disease; alarmed at every sound of the fever, and yet too irresolute to seek refuge in flight. Others, who could not remove, remained in constant dread of being attacked. These circumstances tended greatly to increase the fatality of the disease. The state of the weather in the early part of September, must be noticed in the history of the disease. On the se- cond, the temperature changed from 85° to 70% and on the 5th was accompanied with a strong northwestern breeze. From the 7th to the 10th it was temperate and afterwards warm, with fogs in the mornings, occasion- al lightning in the evenings, winds southerly. On the 17th we had a thunder gust, succeeded by a hot afternoon, wind westerly—18th, alternately cloudy and hot, 'wind