Annals of influenza, or, Epidemic catarrhal fever in Great Britain from 1510 to 1837 / prepared and edited by Theophilus Thompson.

Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annals of influenza, or, Epidemic catarrhal fever in Great Britain from 1510 to 1837 / prepared and edited by Theophilus Thompson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    along with it; then seized the breast with so great a difficulty of breathing, that the sick seemed dying. Presently it laid hold of the precordia and stomach, and with a violent cough, which either caused abortion, or killed gravid women. Some, but very few, had continual fevers along with it; many had double tertians; others simple slight intermittents. All were worse by night than by day; such as recovered were long vale- tudinary, had a weak stomach, and hypped. This disease seized most countries very suddenly when it entered, catching thousands the same moment. Thick, ill-smelling fogs pre- ceded it some days. In some places, few recovered who had it accompanied with a violent fever. Semitertians were next dangerous. If intermittents accompanied the pain of the throat (which was neither a quinzy, nor scarce a slight inflam- mation, but only from a meer defluxion, of which the sick seemed choaked), they were better off, even without bleeding. But if the fever supervened, and was not well managed, it was often fatal. Gentle bleeding the first day was useful. For the throat, gargles of plantin, scabious, and red rose waters, quinces, mulberries, and sealed earth, were used. For the cough and hoarseness, pectoral and oyly mixtures. Scari- fication with cupping succeeded better than bleeding. The year 1555 had been most excessively rainy, and 1556, as great a drought. After a great scarcity of corn, not from famine, but the rich cornmongers had bought and hoarded it up till it was spoiled, which forced the poor to eat oxes’ and swine’s dung, &c.” [This year, the season was mostly wet, but in some countries dry. The Influenza set in about the time when a cold north wind succeeded intense heat. In the previous year was an eruption of Etna.]1 “ A sudden and terrible Plague broke out between Delph and the Hague, in a small village, and spread over the whole country in June before the rising of the Dog star. In chil- dren it was attended with spots. This plague was presaged by stars and fire falling to the ground on the streets of Delph. Children in their play digged graves and carried dead coffins on their shoulders; sung funeral hymns like their priests, and