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
AND here I cannot pass by an Instance worth Observation, of a Girl who
came to my House full of Sadness and Consternation, already even to sink
down; upon Examination she told me that she had broke out from an House
where she was shut up with a Nurse, all the rest of the Family being dead,
to shew me the certain Forerunner of Death upon her, saying she had the
_Tokens_ upon her Leg; but I soon found a Mistake that might have been
fatal to her, for it was only a Whart, which neither she nor the Nurse had
ever taken Notice of before; she was soon undeceiv’d, and by my
Encouragement shook off all her Fear; returning Home chearful to take
those Medicines which were directed to carry off the Disorders upon her,
and sweating her plentifully removed all Suspicion of the Contagion: But I
really believe, that had not her Mind been soon made easie, by what was
said to her, she would have died merely by the Force of her Imagination;
as such a Dread extreamly aggravates the least Complaints.
BUT some of these _Tokens_ were not only so like in Appearance to Wharts,
that they deceived this young Girl, for sometimes even the Surgeons
mistook them; and I was beholden to the Management beforementioned of
pricking through them to be satisfied sometimes my self, as well as to
know the Degrees of Malignity in the Venom of the true _Tokens_; where I
found quickly a Sensibility, I took it for a good Sign, and those which
went no further than the Skin, would oftentimes slough off; whereas when
they went deeper, they were deemed dangerous, especially when the Part
lost its Feeling, and threatned Sphacelation. There were likewise some
found so extreamly comatous, that the whole Body was deprived of Sense;
insomuch that if any Limb, or Part clear of the _Tokens_, was tried by
Puncture, or Incision, there would be no more felt than upon the deadly
Marks themselves; notwithstanding which Insensibility of Body, some
Faculties of the Mind would return and be perceived even till Death.
THE _Viscera_ also, as well as the external Parts, would sometimes be
marked with these Characters, nay, sometimes it appeared, that the Inwards
were affected, when nothing of the _Tokens_ were seen externally.
THE Magnitude of the _Tokens_ were various, sometimes as small as a Pin’s
Head, and at others larger, and as broad as a Silver Peny; there were
indeed Instances of many running into one, but this was but seldom in the
late Sickness.
LASTLY, Some were depressed, and others prominent, and some did not appear
till the infected Person was dead; so that it did not suffice to kill, but
also to leave Marks of its Triumph; but some of the crafty Nurses would
put the dead Body immediately into wet Cloaths, whereby they stopped the
further Fermentation of the Juices, and restrained such Eruption, in Order
to elude the Magistrates Notice and Power, to shut up the Houses.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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