Letters on the yellow fever of 1822 / [Grant Thorburn].

  • Grant Thorburn
Date:
1824
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Letters on the yellow fever of 1822 / [Grant Thorburn]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    but recovered. A man was reported sick of yellow fever, and by way of addition, it was stated, this man assisted to extinguish the fire in the Coal Yard, at the bottom of Rector-street. Here was a most alarming instance of the poisonous atmosphere in Washington -street. Now for the whole truth. The fire was extinguished between 12 and 1 o’clock, P. M.—a very hot day ; if I am not mistaken, the 21st of September. This man, covered with sweat, dust and smoke, (and may be a little stimulated withal,) throws off his clothes, and plunges in the stream. I have no doubt but the Doctors who re¬ ported the above cases knew the attending circumstances; and had they been reported along with the cases, it would have tended to di¬ minish the terror of the infected district, and thrown light on the commencement of this terrible disease : but, however important this might have been to every inhabitant of this city, it appeared) at least to me there was something like a premeditated plan to sup¬ press every thing that might throw light on the subject. When a physician was called, his first inquiry was not how the patient had conducted for the last two or three days; whether he had been ex¬ posed to extra fatigue, cold, or excess of any kind—but, where have you been ? If it was ascertained that the patient bad been in any part of the city to the southward of Beekman-street, his case was immediately pronounced yellow, although, as in several instances, it proved to have been only a slight attack of Barley Fever. It was enough to make common sense blush to read the daily reports at this period. It was only after a long and violent contest, that any fever to the east of Beekman-street, was admitted to be yellow; while it was as clear as a sun-beam, that the fever began at the water’s edge on the west point of the city, and marched with a steady step, till it reached the eastern shore at Corlaer’s Hook, and there stopped, having no more subjects to feed on. Yours, . • % GRANT THORBURN.'