Observations on the causes and cure of remitting or bilious fevers : to which is annexed, an abstract of the opinions and practice of different authors ; and an appendix, exhibiting facts and reflections relative to the synochus icteroides, or yellow fever / by William Currie, Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, &c.

  • Currie, William, 1754-1828.
Date:
1798
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the causes and cure of remitting or bilious fevers : to which is annexed, an abstract of the opinions and practice of different authors ; and an appendix, exhibiting facts and reflections relative to the synochus icteroides, or yellow fever / by William Currie, Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, &c. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    ings Account of its feveral occurrences at Charlefton, in 1732, 1739—45 and—48, where it was each time traced to importation, and when fome of the feafons in which it occurred, were both cooler and wetter than many which had intervened, or preceded them, 'ihe fact is, Lind knew nothing about the difeafe but from the report of others, otherwife he would not have pub- liflied an extract of a letter from Dr. N. Smith to op- pofe the opinion of its being contagious. (See his Effay on the means of preferving the health of feamen, &;c.) If Lind was right in his opinion, the difeafe he fpeaks of could not be the fame as the one which pre- vailed in the Weft India Iflands, as well as in Philadel- phia, in 1793; for it was highly contagious in both places. And in the Weft Indies affe£ted the natives, as well as foreigners. Notwithftanding the pofitive manner in which the other. Dr. Luid, (now of Windfor) who was furgeon to a little floop of war, in the fervice of the Ealc India Company, has decided on the queftion, his opportunities were too unfavourable, and his obfer- vations too limited to determine a queltion of this na- ture. Dr. Cleghorn has faid, that tertians have as good a right to be called contagious, as the mealies or fmall pox, but as he has not meationed any fads in fupport of his affertion, it can only be confidered as mere mat- ter of opinion, derived perhaps from hearfay, or the Jpfe dixit of fome profeffor learn 2d in antient error. It would be mere wafle of time, to employ my pen againli fuch authors as Riverius and Bianchi. Works publiflied when fair fcience was only beginning to dawn, claim compaflion. But Dr. Clark is a champion in the caufe of conta- gion, over whom a vidory v/ould be honourable. This author aflerts that every form and variety of fever belongs to the fame genus, and is occafioned by one and the fame caufe, viz. contagion, and that every form and variety is more or lefs contagious according to the rituatioii, ftate of the atmofphere, and the confti- tution