The fever differed from the fever of the preceding year in an important particular. I saw or heard of no case which terminated in death on the first or third day. In every case, the fever came on fraught with paroxysms. The moderate degrees of it were of so chronic a nature as to continue for several weeks, when left to themselves. I wish this peculiarity in the epidemic which I am now describing to be remembered; for it will serve hereafter to explain the reason why a treatment apparently different should be alike successful, in different seasons and in different countries. The crisis of the fever occurred on uneven days more frequently than in the fever of the year 1793. I remarked formerly[116] that remissions were more common in the yellow fever than in the common bilious fever. The same observation applies to critical days. They were observable in almost every case in which the disease was not strangled in its birth. Dr. Chisholm describes the same peculiarity in the Beullam fever. "I have not met with any disease (says the doctor) in which the periods were more accurately ascertained[117]." [116] Account of the Yellow Fever of 1793. [117] Page 141. In addition to the instances formerly enumerated[118], of the predominance of powerful epidemics over other diseases, I shall add two more, which I have lately met with in the course of my reading. [118] Account of the Yellow Fever in 1793. Dr. Chisholm, in describing the pestilential fever introduced into the West-Indies from Beullam, has the following remarks. "Most other diseases degenerated into, or partook very much of this. Dysenteries suddenly stopped, and were immediately succeeded by the symptoms of the pestilential fever. Catarrhal complaints, simple at first, soon changed their nature; convalescents from other diseases were very subject to this, but it generally proved mild. Those labouring at the same time under chronic complaints, particularly rheumatism and hepatitis, were very subject to it. The puerperile fever became malignant, and of course fatal; and even pregnant negro women, who otherwise might have had it in the usual mild degree peculiar to that description of people, were reduced to a very dangerous situation by it. In short, every disease in which the patient was liable to infection, sooner or later assumed the appearance, and acquired the danger of the pestilential fever[119]." [119] Page 129, 130. Dr. Desportes ascribes the same universal empire to the yellow fever which prevailed in St. Domingo, in the summer of 1733. "The fever of Siam (says the doctor) conveyed an infinite number of men to the grave, in a short time; but I saw but one woman who was attacked by it." "The violence of this disease was such, that it subjected all other diseases, and reigned alone. This is the character of all contagious and pestilential diseases. Sydenham, and before him Diemerbroek, have remarked this of the plague[120]."