A treatise on relapsing or famine fever / by R.T. Lyons.

  • Lyons, R. T.
Date:
1872
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on relapsing or famine fever / by R.T. Lyons. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    31/408 (page 15)
    Island, in latifcade 40° S., a lascar was taken ill with swelling, whicli began in the legs, and spread rapidly np to the body; and he died on the next day. The weather before reaching Gongh's Island was clear, thongh cold; afterwards it became hazy with rain, and then the number of sick increased fast. On the 28th March the island of St. Panl was made ; and in this interval, twenty-eight men died. Got the pUot in the Bengal river on 2nd May, 1801, when the whole ntmiber of deaths amounted to fifty-six. Almost aU the native crew, lascars, and sepoys, were affected with the distemper, but they soon recovered on shore. The Europeans and native Portuguese were exempted from its attack. With respect to the progress of the symptoms, the ac- counts given by different observers do not agree. Accord- ing to some, the first symptom was a swelling of the feet, generally pitting on pressure. While it was confined to the feet, which was sometimes for a day or two, the men were able to go about, and did not complain. But the sweUing rapidly extended upwards, attended with difficulty of breathing ; and after it reached as high as the sto- mach, the sick inevitably perished in the course of a day, For some time before death they had severe pain in the pit of the stomach, increased by pressure; and about this period many had bihous vomiting. The whole duration of the complaint, from the first seizure to the fatal termination, was often comprised within the space of two days. According to other accounts, the swelling- in the feet was preceded by pains of the knees, ankles, and elbows, diffi- culty of breathing, and pain of the bowels. Others alleged, that a pain at the region of the stomach, with hardness and swelling of the part, occurred before the swelling of the feet. The face was swollen and bloated, pai-ticularly the cheeks, temples, and over the eyes. The patients had much thirst during the whole disease, but it greatly increased a little before death. The urine was scanty, and voided with difficulty. The sick were in general costive, but often concealed this as long as they could, from an aversion to medicine. The gums were perfectly sound in every respect: