A report on small-pox, as it appeared in Ceylon in 1833-34 : with an appendix / by J. Kinnis, M.D., superintendent of vaccination in the Colombo district.

Kinnis, John, 1794?-1853.

Date:: MDCCCXXXV [1835]

Credit: A report on small-pox, as it appeared in Ceylon in 1833-34 : with an appendix / by J. Kinnis, M.D., superintendent of vaccination in the Colombo district. 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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$Letter II.—conihiued. triluitod to Iiis recovery :—whilst others less forluniite, thoiij-h with more fa- vouriihlu s) n.|)to;V'S, were dying luound him ; but whioli be bad not the pain ol wituessiug. 9. A menr.ber of a family was at- Incked at Neiomlio—a deposit of tliiriy risdollars {par anticipalion) was re- quired for Ihe pri\ilege of heing al- lowed to remain wlieie he was, atid to pay t!ie pi'on to waicli liim, wliicli was e.rpecled lo occujiy three, nionlhs. This person, I am informed, is re- covering. ■ Need I mention any more instances ? Vere I to recite all I have, they would occupy more than your coliinms roiild hold—1 fear I have trespassed loo much ujion lliem already. 1 cannot howe\er refrain fro.n mentioning, that niapy an unhappy irealure adVcled only with the chi(.ken-)iox Cusually so tailed^ have been riraRged to the IlospiSal, and no sooner have they recovereil fiom this, than they have there eaoght the sniall- ]ios, and died. Ninr.erous instances of the kind have occuircd I anticipate many an answer (o these my letters on this painful snlyerl, and iiiiiny a spiteful, but in my mind impo- tent allacks, for hrintiing Ihese grievan. es lo lit;lii. r>ul dejjei'd on it iMr. Editor, Ihey will he made by those who arc iulercsteU in BcrecuiDg either Ihemselvcs, b.—Cases of Seicondahy Febiule Ehuptions, 8fc. fold by Iiis removal—to the cool and spacious giir len in w hich it slood—from the hot and close apariment he had oc- cupied in First Cross slreet. His friends haviuR represented, the morning after his admi>sion, thai the female who at- tended him was not strong enough lo give him all the assisiam.e he required, Avere at once permitted to send hiai a male servant besides. 9. The district judge of Negonibo had authority lo build a temporary hos- pital ; but none lo defray the expenco of guards placed over private houses, containing so)all and chicken-pox pati- ents. Two cases having occurred om Dowa, a small neighbouring island, and been ordered into hospital on the Tth February, the relations of both ciilreaterl the district judge to permit them to re- main secluded in their own hoiisfs, and exi)ressed their readiness to pay Ihe ex- pence of guarding them: their prayer ivas granted, and a deposit of lenr'\)i- dollars required from each parly lo pay the guards: no other deposit was ever made or demanded. The guards were wiihdrawn from one of the houses on the 7lh, and from the other on the lOlli March, after the recovery of the patients. b.—Cases of Secondary Febiule Eruptions following Small and Chickm-jiox. In reference lo the concluding part of the second Itller, out of 305 cases, com- prising Ihe whole nuiiil:er admitted ititu both hospitals, a secondary eruptive di- sease, preceded by febrile symptoms, occurred in four of tliem and in four only. 1. The first was that of Simon, a shopkeeper's servant, on Slave island, who was seen by the superintendent of vaccination, and was then co\ered willi the erui)lion of dislincl ftmnll-pox. He was lejioried on Ihe 28th December, and sent to the Petlah hospital the same day, with Ihe liearly concurrence of his masler who a])|)eared impatient for his removal, lest he should frighten cu-'tomera from his shop. The eruption had ap- peared on the 2Clh, was at its lieight on the 3d January, and on the lOiii most of the scabs had fallen off. Whea ready to bo discharged on the 27th, ho was agaia seized with febrile gyinp.$