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Show Fluctuations (j opinions and practice in j em: 1355). The appearances, which come on in a few hours, are what ~ eighty odd down in this most fatal distemper, yet we lost no we call Petechiw, or black spots, with a buboe or inflamma- more than seven or eight; and even these owed their deaths tory swelling in thegroin, or some other of the cmunctories. to the strong liquors which their mess-mates procured for This disease is very soon at a crisis, in three or four days at farthest, but generally sooner. They had all spots, which in the great plague they call Now if we had had recourse to Alexipharmicks, such as security, therefore, and keeping our people together, we lay in their churches, and likewise brought thither the plunder of the cities: We were very much annoyed with the smell of dead bodies. These bodies could hardly be said to be buried : Venicetreacle, diascordium; mithridate, and such-like goodfor-nothing compositions, or the most celebrated Gascoin's powder, or Bezoar, I make no question at all, corsidering the heat of the climate, but we had lost every man. for the Spaniards abroad use no coffins, but throw several dead bodies one upon another, with only a draw-board over them; so that it is no wonder we received the infection. In a very few days after we got on board, one of the surgeons came to me, to acquaint me, that several of my men were taken after a violent manner, with that languor of spirits, that they were not able to move. I immediately went among them, and, to my great surprise, soon discerned what was the matter. «fam- them ; but my people had them, and buboes too. For our better v-w.»~ tokens; few or none of the Spaniards escaped death that had Ifthis simplenarrative, in spite of its somewhat ludicrous air, carry not its own evidence, the fol- lowing passage from Dr. Rush (med. inquiries iv. p. 86) may teach the student issuing- out of the lecture-room, that he ought not to reject it as out of nature, on the strength of what he may have heard there. I'm- m . w _.. "i When I took by storm the two cities of Guaiquil, under the Line, in the South Seas, ithappened, that not long before, the plague had raged amoust them. them. . 168 In less than forty-eight hours we. had in our several ships, one hundred and eighty men in this miserable " In the bilious yellow fever of 1797 I cured many by a WON! Ml single bleeding. condition. A few required the loss of upwards of 100 I ordered the surgeons to bleed them in both arms, and to ounces of blood tocurethem. 'l‘hepersonsfrom whom that large go round to them all, with command to leave them bleeding quantity of blood was taken were Messieurs Andrew Brown, till all were blooded, and then come and tie them up in their turns. Iorace Hall, George Curnmins, J. Ramsay, and George Thus they lay bleeding, and fainting so long, that Eyre-The following physicians drew the quantities of blood, Icould not conceive they could lose less than an hundred annexed to their respective names from the following persons: ounces each man. If we had lost so grrat a number of our people, the poor re- mains must infallibly have perished. We had on board oil and spirit of vitriol sutficient, which I caused to be mixed with watertothe acidity of a lemon, and made them drink very freely of it; so that notwithflanding we had one hundred and Dr. Dewes 1 Dr. Grifliths I f 176 from Dr. I'hysic‘r: i 110 from Mr. S. Thompson Dr. Stewart i drew ounce": 105 from Mrs. M'Phail Dr. Cooper I 150 from David Evans Dr. Gillespie J k 103 from himself." -‘icconnts eighty |