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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    A N E N Q^U I R Y, &c. DEAR SIR, TT AVING publickly afTerted, that I believed our late Epi- -*- ■*■ demi'c Feyer to have been generated in our city, I here- with enclofe you my reafons for that opinion, accompanied by a wifh that they may be laid before the public ; for I conceive they are extremely interefting, both to our city, and to the United States. Theft reafons are, as jolloivs :— l. The Yellow Fever in the Weft Indies, and in all other countries where it is endemic, is the offspring of vegetable putre- faction. a. The fame caufes (under like circumftances) muft always produce the fame effects. There is nothing in the air of the Weft Indies above other hot countries, which difpofe9 it to produce a yellow fever. Similar degrees of heat acting upon dead and moift vegetable matters, are capable of producing it, to- gether with all its various modifications, in every part of the world. In fupport of this opinion, I fhall tranferibe a part of a letter I received a few weeks ago from Dr. Miller, of the Dela- ware ftate—a gentleman whofe authority in medicine is feco« to no man's in the United States. 'ice/