A treatise on the plague and yellow fever. With an appendix, containing histories of the plague at Athens in the time of the Peloponnesian War; at Constantinople in the time of Justinian; at London in 1665; at Marseilles in 1720; &c / By James Tytler.

James Tytler

Date:: 1799

Credit: A treatise on the plague and yellow fever. With an appendix, containing histories of the plague at Athens in the time of the Peloponnesian War; at Constantinople in the time of Justinian; at London in 1665; at Marseilles in 1720; &c / By James Tytler. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$ae es he 1 ee 2. Le ae ae ; H ee therm: many of thofe died calling for help, and even for fuftenance, out of “«¢ their windows) in a moft miferableanddeplorable manner; but it muftbe — «sadded, thaty whenever the cafes of fuch perfons or families were reprefented | * to the lord mayor, they» were always relieved.’ ed the charity of the more opulent, upon this oceafion, almoft exceeds belief. \Dr. Hodges informs ous) that ‘© though the more opulent had left the towny and it was left almof _ ¢ uninhabited, the commonality who remained felt ‘little of want; for their \4* neceffities were relieved with a profution of good things fromthe wealthys— ee and their poverty was fuppoxted with plenty.’ The probable reafonoffuch -devaftation among the poor, Dr. Hodges promifess p. 55 ne does. ] mot; at leaft I have not been able to find: it’in his bovk 3) 1 therefore ‘content myfelf with what the journalift (thoughino | -phyfician) b as. delivered i Yon this fubjeét. He fays; that when people began to chases cautions, the -danger of infe@tion was the lefs. »** But (fays he) it was impoffible to beatany ~~ *¢ thing into the heads of the poor; they went on with» the ufual impetuofity _ 6 of their tempers; full of outctiesand lamentations when taken, but» madly — q 4 carelefs of 'themfelves, fool-hardy and. obftinate -w en well: where they a *¢ could get employment, they puthedinto any kind of bufinefs, the moftdan- a ae gerous,’and t the moft liable todntection; and, if they were fpoken to; their , ‘*« anfwer would be, I muft truft to Gop forthats if am»taken, then I am sia ** provided for, and there is an.end of me, or the like; or thus: Why» what» a. 4 muft I do? I cannot. ftarves: ‘Thad as good |have the plague, sas ° for; 4 want. Ihave no work, &c... This adventurous conduct’ of the _ poor ag what brought the plague among them ina moft-furious manner;; and thiss » joined to the diftrefs of theircircumftances, when taken {with \the diftem- * per) was the reafon why they died fo-in heaps: for Ivcannot faythatel | * could obferve one jot of better hufbandry among them, ] mean the»labour- — a . *¢ ing poor, while they. were well and getting money, than there was before; -4@but as lavith, as. extravagant, and as thoughtlefs of to morrow, as ever; fo “sé that, when they came to be taken fick, they were immediately, in. the. ut- . «¢moft diftrets, as well for want as for. evn as well for. Jack of food as ~*~ ; a Jack of healths’?s aque ioe ees An Ue eae : Iw the time of fo. great a calamitys - the ma sittrates exerted ‘themfelves.as far -as their power and {kill would permit, to leilen: the: fufferings of the, people. it was natural alfo. in fuch a dreadful emergency to calluponthe phyficians | — oyalautho- — 4q to exert themfelves. Accordingly the king: (Charles. IY) «by his x rity commanded the College of Phyficians of Londoa jointly,.to wr “what in Englithy that might be a general directory in this calamitous P »mor was it fatistactory to this honoured fociety to difcharge: their regards ‘the publicin that only ; but fome were. chofen. out-of. their number; and 3] - 4 ‘pointed particularly to attend the infected on all occafions;»twoalfoout of the — ‘court of aldermen were required, to fee. this hazardous tafk executed.* 3 Our author then proceeds to mention the names of fome who were. employed a -in'this: laudable undertaking ;, particularly Dro.Gliffon, regius profeflor ar Cambridge, Dr. Nathaniel, Paget, Dr. Wharton, ,Dr., Berwick,,.and Dr... ‘Brookes ; many,others he fays were,employed 5. ** but (he adds) eight or nine ty 's#telhim-the work, who were too much loaded, with the {poils of theenemy; “¢ among whom was Dr: Conyers; &c.» Atter, then, all endeavours to. reftrain: . “ the.contagion had proved of no ott empplicd Loni es: altogether to the a «+ cure of the difeafedy’’, , Sys arRA 4 ge ah! hg me ve + We fhall net. doubt of, the $end: intentions of. Nhe, aie fiuane ‘oftheir fuccefs- we may judge from what. Dr. Hodges himfelf fays, that manyrdied while pre- - 4cribingeures for others. To the fame purpofe the journalift, pH 43: je _ 4 (hall not be fuppofed to leffen the authority or capacity of tne ‘phyficians, - «6 when [fay that the violence of the diftemper, when itcame to’ its extremity, «¢.was like the fire the next year (1666)e0) Thesfire. which confumed what the «* plague could not touch, defied all the application of remedies; the fire-en- *s. gines were broken, the buckets thrown away, and the power of man was ss baffled and. brought to an end; fo the plague defied all medicines) the ss very. epee were desig. with it, with their prelervatives | in their mouths 3 | | 64. aud | 4 ie y ae * Fy * iden p- ree jer, + #$