Typhus syncopalis, sinking typhus, or the spotted-fever of New-England : as it appeared in the epidemic of 1823, in Middletown, Connecticut / by Thomas Miner.

  • Thomas Miner
Date:
1825
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Typhus syncopalis, sinking typhus, or the spotted-fever of New-England : as it appeared in the epidemic of 1823, in Middletown, Connecticut / by Thomas Miner. 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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    regularity of the pulse, particularly its occasional deceptive fulness and force, when the patient is in the most alarming state of exhaus- tion—the very rapid progress of the disease—the impunity, at least, with which the most extraordinary doses of Opium were borne? (which must be acknowledged by all, from the unparalleled suc- cess of the practice, whatever may be realized of its necessity and advantage by those who did not watch the whole progress of the cases,)—[See Appendix, Note 26.] the injurious effects offree eva- cuations, whether spontaneous or factitious—the general inefficacy of all medication to gain a hair's breadth upon the disease, when, from neglect or bad management, the patient had once sunk down at a critical period, though perhaps the same degree of exhaustion might not have been very alarming at the crisis of any other ordinary fever, and though individual symptoms might be capable of material palliation—the absence of febrile smell, and indeed, of any uncommon fetor of the excretions—all mark the identity of the disease with the Hartford Spotted-Fever of 1809, and evince its diversity from common Typhus or Nervous-fever. From these considerations, it is believed, no one will hesitate to admit that this disease, at least as respects the severest and most sudden cases, was genuine Spotted-fever, and that it was essentially different from common Typhus. Indeed, the two diseases differ so much, especially during several of the first days, that the best treatment of common Nervous-fever, would prove fatal in every severe case of Spotted-Fever. With the utmost confidence it is asserted, that by the experienced, they might be always discriminated, and there- fore should never, at this late day, be mistaken, or confounded together. It is true, that in a great majority of the cases of this year, the disease was less violent, and more manageable than the Spotted-Fever of 1809, and indeed, than it was this same season in several adjoining towns. The only difference appears to be, that the mild and insidious cases, were in a much greater propor- tion, this year, than formerly. The cases of sudden attack, were identically the same as those of 1809, and all the others were clear- ly varieties of the same epidemic. But this is a point of difference which existed to an equal degree between several of the different cases of both epidemics. Why may there not be prominent varie- ties of Spotted-Fever, as well as of common Typhus, Yellow-fe- ver, Cynanche-maligna, Pneumonia-typhodes, Dysentery, etc.? [Set Appendix, Note 27.] This disease, however, was peculiarly distinguished from every
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