An enquiry into the origin of the late epidemic fever in Philadelphia : in a letter to Dr. John Redman, president of the College of Physicians, from Doctor Benjamin Rush.

  • Rush, Benjamin, 1746-1813.
Date:
December 11, 1793
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An enquiry into the origin of the late epidemic fever in Philadelphia : in a letter to Dr. John Redman, president of the College of Physicians, from Doctor Benjamin Rush. 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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    Afterwards Fpread its contagion through a whole country. Dj. Rodger* in his treatife upon the difeafes of Cork, mentions a malignant fever which fwept away a great number of the Students of Wadliam College in Oxford. The Angularity <;f the cafe (adds the Do&or) engaged all the gentlemen of the faculty, in a ferious inquiry into the caufes of fo remarkable an effect, and all agreed that the contagious infection arofe from the putre- faction of a vaft quantity of Cabbages thrown into a heap ota of the feveial gardens near the College. Lancifli relates, that one end of the city of Rome was nearly defolatcd by the effluvia of fome rotted hemp, which lay in the neighbourhood of the city. The fame author remarks, that fevers often prevail at Conftaminople, which owe their origin to the hemp which is brought from Cairo, and which is put wet into the public grana* ries, and fuffered to ferment during the fummer. It is after- wards fold, and the feeds of thofe difeafes are afterwards fpread among the people.—Many other fads might be addu- ced of radi(hes,turnips, garlic, and fundry other vegetables, generating by putrefaction, fevers, fimilar to thofe which have been mentioned. 4. The rapid progrefs of the fever from Water ftreet, and the courfes through which it travelled into other parts of the cfty, affoid a ftrong evidence that it was at firft propagated chiefly by exhalation from the putrid coffee. It is remarkable that it paffei firft through thofe alleys and ftreets> which were in the courfe of the winds that blew acrofs the dock and wharf where th; coffee lay, and that perfons were affected at a much greater diftance from Water ftreet by that means, than was afterwards known by means of the contagion which was generated bv ia- fecled perfoni.