An account of the plague which raged at Moscow, in 1771 / by Charles de Mertens, M.D. ... ; translated from the French, with notes.

  • Mertens, Charles de, 1737-1788.
Date:
1799
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An account of the plague which raged at Moscow, in 1771 / by Charles de Mertens, M.D. ... ; translated from the French, with notes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

    110/124 (page 112)
    [ 11^ ] vapours let loofe on burning nitre and fulphuf together, remain a long time fufpended in the air*. The greater or lefs ftrength of thefe powders depends on the proportion of ful- phur and nitre to the other ingredients. After burning the rags or other litter which may be found in the rooms, they are fumigated by throwing one of thefe powders on a chafing- difli or pan of coals, the doors and windows being iliut, to keep in the fmoke and vapour for a fufficient length of time. This vapour is hurtful to the lungs, and produces fuffoca- tion ; hence the perfon who throws the pow- der upon the burning coals fliould get out of the room as faft as poffible. This procefs is (We are now acquainted with a mode of deftroying contagion, much more fimple and efficacious than that of fumigating with fuch compound and coftly powders as thofe mentioned in the preceding note j we mean the va- pour extricated from nitre hy means of the vitriolic acid. See an Account of the experiments made on board the Union Hofpital-fliip, to determine the efte£t of the nitrous acid in deftroying contagion. By James Carmichael Smith, M.D. &c. London, 1796. Tr.) * The author adds, that the fmoke from the vegetable fubftances burnt with them helps to keep the acid vapours longer fufpended. We do not fee how. Tr, repeated