Tableau of the yellow fever of 1853 : with topographical, chronological, and historical sketches of the epidemics of New Orleans since their origin in 1796, illustrative of the quarantine question / by Bennet Dowler.

  • Bennet Dowler
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Tableau of the yellow fever of 1853 : with topographical, chronological, and historical sketches of the epidemics of New Orleans since their origin in 1796, illustrative of the quarantine question / by Bennet Dowler. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    1800. Charleston. Havana. Valiente. NEW ORLEANS. 11 the Germanic States. Quarantine rigid against yellow fever generally called the Pestilence, American Plague, &c, &c. Rush's works translated into German. Charleston : 134 died, including two children born in the city; the residue strangers exclusively. Some instances have been observed of our youth, who have returned from a more northern latitude, after an absence of three, four and five years, and in one instance of twelve years, without contracting this inhospitable disease. The only exception to this remark are two ; the one after an absence of five and the other of nine years. (Dr. Ramsay.) [Probably the two Creole chil- dren were born of unacclimated parents.] In Havana, 9,977 perished from yellow fever. The Intendant of Cuba, El Sr. Don Pablo Valiente chartered the Dolphin to take himself, family and suite to Spain, touched at Charleston; and, having anchored in the bay of Cadiz, he went ashore with his party two days after, on the 8th of July. A month later the yellow fever appeared in Cadiz, whereupon Valiente was arrested upon a criminal charge for having imported yellow fever contagion from Havana and Charleston; the former he left in May; the latter he touched at June 2d, and left eight days after. At neither place was there any yellow fever. No yellow fever appeared on board of the Dolphin during the voyage, though three sailors had died. The Intendant, after eleven months' imprisonment, was acquitted at Seville, and was afterwards promoted by the Government, probably as a compensation for, his wrongs Seville : out of 80,000 souls, 76,000 took the disease. Cadiz: 14,000 fled, 57,499 remained,48,500 sickened, 7,387 died. Dr. Hosack, and many others, having adopted Dr. Mitchell's theory of septic acid as being the cause, and alkalies as the preventive of yellow fever. Lime water and the like were reckoned to be vastly important in neutralizing the septic acid, which was considered very corrosive, particularly after black vomit appeared. Dr. Cathrall, of Philadelphia, read a paper before the American Philosophical Society, on the analysis of black vomit, asserted that there was an acid in this liquid which is inert to the taste and smell, and harmless when swallowed. Black vomit having been kept corked in a phial eight or ten days, it assumed an agreeable saccharine odor; kept two years in a state of rest, the flakey particles became per- fectly separated—on agitation, it became immediately incorporated, and after remaining six months, showed scarce any disposition to separate. It is, as he says, neither blood nor bile, nor a mixture of the two. (Med. Rep. iv.) The writer has several specimens of black vomit, ten to fifteen years old, which does not appear to change from age. In March, 1801, Baron de Carondelet, in an official document, setforth the importance of improving the topography oi the city, so as to drain off into Canal New Orleans, Carondelet the stagnant waters which then abounded near the city, and which he Carondelet- regarded as the cause of much mortality; a measure which he says would put an end to putrid fevers, (Martin ii, 176-7) in which category he, doubtless, in- cluded yellow fever, which a few months later occurred as an epidemic. Yellow fever in New Orleans: Dr. Snead, of this city, detailed the mode of treatment and criticised it as inefficient. (Med. Rep. ix.) Yellow fever in Savannah, Norfolk, Norwich, Ct., New Bedford, Mass., in New b3 1800. 1801. 1801.