Medical Inquiries and Observations, Vol. 2: The Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged by the AuthorRush, Benjamin
Science
Medical Inquiries and Observations, Vol. 2: The Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged by the Author
Rush, Benjamin
Medicine; Yellow fever -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
In April and May there were a few warm days; but upon the whole, it was
a very cold and backward spring. The peaches failed almost universally.
There were no strawberries or cherries on the 24th of May, and every
other vegetable product was equally backward. A country woman of 84
years of age informed me, that it was the coldest spring she had ever
known. It was uncomfortable to sit without fire till the first of June.
The measles appeared first in the Northern Liberties, in December.
They spread slowly in January, and were not universal in the city till
February and March.
This disease, like many others, had its _precursor_. It was either a
gum-boil, or a sore on the tongue. They were both very common, but not
universal. They occurred, in some instances, several days before the
fever, but in general they made their appearance during the eruptive
fever, and were a sure mark of the approaching eruption of the measles.
I was first led to observe this fact, from having read Dr. Quin's
accurate account of the measles in Jamaica. I shall now proceed to
mention the symptoms of the measles as they appeared in the different
parts of the body.
1. In the _head_, they produced great pain, swelling of the eye-lids, so
as to obstruct the eye-sight, tooth-ach, bleeding at the nose, tinnitus
aurium, and deafness; also coma for two days, and convulsions. I saw the
last symptom only in one instance. It was brought on by a stoppage of a
running from the ear.
2. In the _throat_ and _lungs_, they produced a soreness and hoarseness,
acute or dull pains in the breast and sides, and a painful or
distressing cough. In one case, this cough continued for two hours
without any intermission, attended by copious expectoration. In two
cases, I saw a constant involuntary discharge of phlegm and mucus from
the mouth, without any cough. One of them terminated fatally. Spitting
of blood occurred in several instances. The symptoms of pneumonia
vera notha and typhoides were very common. I saw two fatal cases from
pneumonia notha, in both of which the patients died with the trunk of
the body in an erect posture. I met with two cases in which there was
no cough till the eruption made its appearance on the fourth day, and
one which was accompanied by all the usual symptoms of the cynanche
trachealis.
3. In the _stomach_ the measles produced, in many instances, sickness
and vomiting. And
4. In the _bowels_, griping, diarrh[oe]a, and, in some instances, bloody
stools. The diarrh[oe]a occurred in every stage of the disease, but it
was bloody and most painful in its decline. I attended a black girl who
discharged a great many worms, but without the least relief of any of
her symptoms.
There was a great variety in this disease. 1. In the _time_ of the
attack of the fever, from the _time_ of the reception of the contagion.
In general the interval was fourteen days, but it frequently appeared
before, and sometimes later than that period.
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