History and description of an epidemic fever, commonly called spotted fever, which prevailed at Gardiner, Maine, in the spring of 1814 / by E. Hale, jr.

Date:
1818
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: History and description of an epidemic fever, commonly called spotted fever, which prevailed at Gardiner, Maine, in the spring of 1814 / by E. Hale, jr. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    Few persons will perhaps be disposed to agree with Sydenham in attributing this change in the character of diseases, to changes in the state of the air. If corresponding phenomena had been known to take place in the atmosphere, the) would do but little in explaining the effects at tributed to them. Much less, since their exist- ance is altogether hypothetical, should we resort to them for an explanation, which can add nolh insr to our knowledge of the facts. That such changes do take place in the constitution of dis- eases, is sufficient]v established bv an attentive observation of their history and symptoms* at dif- ferent periods. The causes of the change seem beyond the ken of human knowledge; and it is useless to seek them in idle speculation, where observation and experiment cannot lead us. In a practical view, these changes are of the great- est importance. Every disease being more or less influenced by the prevailing constitution of diseases, it is necessary to take this into consider- ation, before we can make up our prescriptions, in- telligibly and satisfactorily. We must not only look at the individual case before us, but must also bear in mind those which have preceded, as well as those which are cotemporary with it. Every case of disease may be considered as having some degree of relation to those wh'n h surround it, however dissimilar in their general appearance and character. Hence it is, that a physician who contents himself with ascertaining only the ge-