قراءة كتاب A Succinct Account of the Plague at Marseilles Its Symptoms and the Methods and Medicines Used for Curing It

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A Succinct Account of the Plague at Marseilles
Its Symptoms and the Methods and Medicines Used for Curing It

A Succinct Account of the Plague at Marseilles Its Symptoms and the Methods and Medicines Used for Curing It

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دار النشر: Project Gutenberg
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fresh, and sometimes inclining to livid; the Sickness at the Stomach was frequent, tho’ much less than in those of the preceding Class; the Respiration was frequent, laborious, or great and rare, without Coughing or Pain; Loathings; Vomitings, bilious, greenish, blackish, bloody; the Courses of the Belly of the same Sort, but without any Tension or Pain; Ravings, or phrenetick Deliria; the Urine frequently natural, sometimes troubled, blackish, whitish, or bloody; the Sweat, which seldom smelt badly, and which was far from giving Ease to the Sick, that it always weakned them; in certain Cases Hemorrhages, which, however moderate, have been always fatal; a great Decay in the Strength, and above all, an Apprehension so strong of dying, that these poor Creatures, were incapable of any Comfort, and looked on themselves, from the first Moment of their being attacked, as destined to certain Death. But that which deserves to be well observed, and which has always seemed to characterise and distinguish this Disease from all others, is, that almost all had at the Beginning, or in the Progress of this Distemper, very painful Buboes, situated commonly below the Groin, sometimes in the Groin or Arm-pits, or in the Parotide, Maxillar, or jugular Glands; as likewise Carbuncles, especially on the Arms, Legs or Thighs, small, white, livid, black Pustles, dispersed over all the Surface of the Body.

It was very rare to see any of the diseased of this Second Class escape, though they supported themselves a little longer than those of the preceding; they perished almost all with the Marks of a gangren’d Inflammation, especially in the Brain and Thorax; and that which was most singular is, that the stronger, fatter, fuller, and more vigorous they were, the less we had to hope.

As to the Remedies, they bore Bleeding no better than those of the First Class; at least if they were not blooded at the very first Instant of their being taken Sick: It was evidently hurtful to ’em; they grew pale, and fell even in the time of their first Bleeding, or a little while after, into such Faintings, as could not in most of them be imputed to any Fear, Repugnance, or Distrust, since they demanded with Earnestness to have a Vein opened.

All Emeticks, if we except Ipecacuanha, were very often more hurtful than useful; causing such fatal Irritations and Excesses in operating, as we could neither moderate or stop.

The Catharticks that were a little strong and active, were attended with the same Inconveniences.

Such as we prescribed in the Form of a laxative Ptisan, as well as plentiful Draughts, that were diluting, nitrous, cooling, and gently alexiterial, gave some Relief, but did not hinder the Return of the Symptoms.

All Cordials and Sudorificks, if they were not soft, gentle and benign, did nothing but promote the Progress of the inward Inflammations.

In short, if any one escaped, which was very rare, he seem’d to owe his Cure to the external Eruptions, when they were very much raised; either solely by the Force of Nature, or by the Assistance of Remedies, as well internal as external, that determined the Blood to discharge on the Surface of the Body, the noxious Ferment wherewith it was infected.

 

Third Class.

The Third Class contains the two preceding; seeing we have attended, during the Course of this terrible Sickness, a great Number of Persons that have been attacked successively with the different Symptoms enumerated in the two former Classes, in such a manner, that the most part of the Signs described in the Second, were commonly the Forerunners of those which we have mentioned in the First; and the appearing of these latter Symptoms denounced an approaching Death.

In these sorts of Cases we varied our Method according to the diversity of Indications, or of the most urgent Symptoms; so that without our being obliged to enter into farther Particulars, a Judgment may be formed of the Event of this Malady, and of the Success of the Remedies, from what we before observed on the Subject of the diseased of the two preceding Classes.

Before we pass on to the Fourth Class, we believe it will not be improper to observe, that a very great Number of different Kinds of diseased Persons contained in the preceding, had very moderate Symptoms, whose Force and Malignity appeared to be much less, than in those of the same Accidents daily observed in inflammatory Fevers, or in the most common putrid ones, or in those that are vulgarly called Malignant, if we except the Signs of Fear or Despair, which were Extream, or in the highest Degree; insomuch, that of the great Number of infected Persons who have perished, there were very few, who at the very first Moment of their being seized, did not imagine themselves lost without Relief, whatever Pains we took to encourage them: And though many amongst them seemed to us, before the first Access of the Distemper, to be of a firm and courageous Disposition of Mind, and resolute under all Events, yet as soon as they felt the first Strokes, it was easy to know by their Looks, and their Discourses, that they were convinced that their Sickness was Incurable and Mortal, even at the Time when neither the Pulse, nor the Tongue, nor the Disorder in the Head, nor the Colour of the Face, nor the Disposition of the Mind, nor lastly, the Lesion of any of the other natural Functions mentioned above, gave any fatal Indication, or before there were any Grounds to be allarmed.

 

Fourth Class.

The fourth Class contains the Diseased attacked with the same Symptoms with those of the second, but these sorts of Accidents lessened or disappeared the second or third Day of themselves, or in Consequence of the Effects of the internal Remedies, and at the same time in Proportion to the remarkable Eruption of the Buboes and Carbuncles in which the noxious Ferment that was dispersed through the whole Mass, seemed to be collected together; so that the Tumours rising from Day to Day, at length being open, and coming to a Suppuration, the Infected escaped the Danger that threatned them, provided they had some Assistance.

These happy Events have determined us to redouble our Care during the whole Course of this Sickness, to accelerate, as much as the State of the Patient will admit, the Eruption, Elevation, Opening, and Suppuration of the Buboes and Carbuncles, in order to free, as soon as possible, by this way, the Mass of Blood, from the fatal Ferment that corrupts it; aiding Nature by a good Regimen, and by such cathartick, cordial, and sudorifick Medicines, as are proper in the present Condition and Temperature of the Sick.

 

Fifth and Last Class.

This Fifth and Last Class contains all such infected Persons, as without perceiving any Emotion, or there appearing any Trouble or Lesion of their natural Function, have Buboes and Carbuncles, which rise by little and little, and easily turn to Surpuration, becoming sometimes scirrhous, or which is more rare, dissipate insensibly, without leaving any bad Effect behind them; so that without any loss of Strength, and without changing their manner of Living, these infected Persons went about the Streets and publick Places, only using themselves a simple Plaister, or asking of the Physicians and Surgeons such Remedies as are necessary to these sorts of suppurating or scirrhous Tumours.

The Number of the infected contained in the two last Classes, were so considerable, that one may affirm,

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