Loimologia: Or, an Historical Account of the Plague in London in 1665: With Precautionary Directions Against the Like ContagionHodges, Nathaniel
History
Loimologia: Or, an Historical Account of the Plague in London in 1665: With Precautionary Directions Against the Like Contagion
Hodges, Nathaniel
Plague -- England -- London -- Early works to 1800
LASTLY, A Carbuncle appeared on the Finger of a young Woman, to eradicate
which, we took all imaginable Care; and all Things at first seemed to
answer our Wishes; but the Uncertainty of humane Expectations! for the
Patient with her old Nurse Supping plentifully upon _French_ Beans, that
very Night the Distemper returned; and although she vomited as much as her
Strength would bear, by the Provocation of an Emetick given her, after
which were used the most Cordial Remedies, and the most warm
Alexipharmicks, early in the Morning, a fresh Carbuncle came in the Place
of the old one; she was delirious all that Day, and in the Evening she
expired. After the Bearers came that Night to bury her, and talked of
fetching away the old Woman next, as a Person dead, the poor Wretch, as
awakened from Sleep, cried out, she was not dead; but she disappointed not
their Agreement, and died time enough to be carried away the same Night to
the burying Place.
I might easily imploy a Volume in a Recital of all the particular
Circumstances of these Carbuncles; but however, before I dismiss this
Subject, I cannot omit that the pestilential Venom was in a very great
Manner communicable from one Carbuncle to another; or to speak perhaps
more properly, the saline Virulence of a Carbuncle would generate another
wheresoever it lodged.
THE Number of Carbuncles was undeterminate, sometimes two, three, four, or
more, would come out at once, the pestilential Venom being diffused to
many Parts at the same Time; but the rest we shall leave to that Section
concerning the Cure of Carbuncles; we shall here therefore subjoin
somewhat concerning pestilential Spots, called _Petechiæ_.
THE _Petechiæ_ then are little Spots upon the Skin, not easily
distinguishable from a Flea-Bite; though this Difference may be observed,
in a Flea-Bite there may be seen a Puncture in the middle, where the
little Creature had struck in its Teeth, and round it an Inflammation,
with a little extravasated Blood: But these Spots are more uniform in
their Colour, more fixed, and difficult to be removed, whereas upon any
Pressure with the Finger a Flea-Bite gives Way, except in the central
Puncture. Furthermore the pestilential _Petechiæ_ are to be distinguished
from the Spots of a malignant Fever, as they are deeper coloured; and
likewise to be known (as before observed) from Scurvy Spots, which are
much broader, and not always exactly round; although these are likewise
sometimes intermixed with the pestilential ones, and by Means of the
aforementioned Affinities between them, hardly in some Cases to be
distinguished.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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