Remarks on the epidemic fever as it was observed in Dublin, during 1847 and 1848 / by Doctor Frazer.

  • Frazer, William
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Remarks on the epidemic fever as it was observed in Dublin, during 1847 and 1848 / by Doctor Frazer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    differed from Typhus in its tendency to end on the 7th and 9th days. I am not aware of an instance in whicli this did not happen, while Typhus usually ran on until the 15th day, or even longer. The Epidemic commonly terminated by perspiration of a profuse amount, while I only saw one case during the same period in which sweating occurred in Typhus as a termination to that disease. The absence of the true maculae of Typhus in every case of the Epidemic fever was also very distinctive of the difference of the two fevers^ As to the occurrence of purpuric spots, 1 am disposed to re- gard them rather as an accidental occurrence than as distinc- tive of this Epidemic relapsing fever, and due to the operation of causes which were felt by the entire population, but es- pecially fell on the lower orders, I mean tlie deprivation of fresh vegetable food in sufficient quantity, and in some cases its total disuse ; this, as is well known, produced a recur- rence of scurvy among the people, an affection so little known for years previously, that it was not recognized on its reappearance by many intimately acquauited with tlie diseases usually seen among the poor. Duriug the same period a great increase was visible in the number of those attacked with ordinary Purpura Hsemorrhagica and haemor- rhagic discharges of every kind. The absence of the eruption ofblood spots in many attacked with the Epidemic fever will be a proof of its non-essential character, and its not occurring in those removed above the classes of society by whom the famine was chiefly felt, and also its amount bearing a direct relation to the previous wantof vegetable diet, a fact which 1 ascertained as far as possible by careful in- quiry, will shew its occurrence to have been due to the want of sufficient vegetable food. It is known that this undoubt- edly predisposes to purpura, and when a febrile disturbance
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