Medical Inquiries and Observations, Vol. 3: The Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged by the AuthorRush, Benjamin
Science
Medical Inquiries and Observations, Vol. 3: The Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged by the Author
Rush, Benjamin
Medicine; Yellow fever -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
On the 25th of the month, the college of physicians was summoned by their
president to meet, in order to consult about the best methods of checking
the progress of the fever in the city. After some consideration upon the
nature of the disease, a committee was appointed to draw up some
directions for those purposes; and the next day the following were
presented to the college, and adopted unanimously by them. They were
afterwards published in most of the newspapers.
_Philadelphia, August 26th, 1793._
The college of physicians having taking into consideration the malignant
and contagious fever that now prevails in this city, have agreed to
recommend to their fellow-citizens the following means of preventing its
progress.
1st. That all unnecessary intercourse should be avoided with such persons
as are infected by it.
2d. To place a mark upon the door or window of such houses as have any
infected persons in it.
3d. To place the persons infected in the centre of large and airy rooms,
in beds without curtains, and to pay the strictest regard to cleanliness,
by frequently changing their body and bed linen, also by removing, as
speedily as possible, all offensive matters from their rooms.
4th. To provide a large and airy hospital, in the neighbourhood of the
city, for the reception of such poor persons as cannot be accommodated
with the above advantages in private houses.
5th. To put a stop to the tolling of the bells.
6th. To bury such persons as die of this fever in carriages, and in as
private a manner as possible.
7th. To keep the streets and wharves of the city as clean as possible. As
the contagion of the disease may be taken into the body, and pass out of
it without producing the fever, unless it be rendered active by some
occasional cause, the following means should be attended to, to prevent
the contagion being excited into action in the body.
8th. To avoid all fatigue of body and mind.
9th. To avoid _standing_ or _sitting_ in the sun; also in a current of
air, or in the evening air.
10th. To accommodate the dress to the weather, and to exceed rather in
warm, than in cool clothing.
11th. To avoid intemperance, but to use fermented liquors, such as wine,
beer, and cyder, in moderation.
The college conceive _fires_ to be very ineffectual, if not dangerous
means of checking the progress of this fever. They have reason to place
more dependence upon the burning of _gunpowder_. The benefits of
_vinegar_ and _camphor_ are confined chiefly to infected rooms, and they
cannot be used too frequently upon handkerchiefs, or in
smelling-bottles, by persons whose duty calls to visit or attend the
sick.
Signed by order of the college,
WILLIAM SHIPPEN, jun.
_Vice president_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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