The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-03-16
The Nature, Treatment, History and Pre-.
ventiOn of Smallpox.

AT lecture delivered last month at the
hall of the Young Mems Christian AssScia-
ton. DR.. b. F. Chatham gave an interest
ing historical sketch and an account of the
ravages of smallpox. The following synop-
sis embraces the leading points of his lee.
ture:
After q few preliminary remarks explain
ing the meaning of the terms variola and
varioloid, identifying the "grease" in
horses. cowpox and smallpox as modilica-
tions of one and the same disease, and Civ
ing the derivation of the word ''oid" from
the Greek word ''idos like applied to
variola, measles, typhus and other scien-
titic term, to constitute the words vario-
loid, rubeoloid, typhoid, ETC., the subject
was considered under four heads: I. The
nature, symptoms and usual course Of the
disease. .. Its treatment. 3. Its origin and
history. 4. Prevention.
! Nature-No other malady known to med
! ical men has been held in so fearful abhor-
renee, has SO devastated nations, SO decim-
ated populations and been so potential in
crushing out from the human heart, in the
reign of some of its direful visitations,
those emotions, affections and charities,
which ordinarily cement the members of
the human family into the spirit of COM
mon brotherhood. Its nature is in the
| highest degree contagious.
Smallpox is an eruptive fever, marked
| by the occurance, more or less, of pustules
| over the entire surface of the body, which
appear at a definite period, ran regular
course, and upon subsiding by the she'd
ding off of q brown crust, frequently leave
! deep. and indetible eicatrices. This pitting
CT soaring is caused by the destruction of
the CUTS vera or true skin the middle
coat, thus allowing the external coat and
the internal coat to approach each other in
patches and adhere.
Symptoms and course-it usually COM
mences with the ordinary concomitants of
severe s2si, and the symptoms resemble
those ushering an attack of measles. The
pain in the back and limbs, the degree of
the lumbar pain often being considered as
a measure of the violence Of the attack
The eruption appears on the third CT fourth
day, and is completed by the fifth, when
the fever disappears, often suddenly. The
eruption Is at first popular, then vascular,
and, lastly, pustular, by the twelfth day,
by which time the secondary, or constitu-
tonal fever, caused by the local intlama-
ton sets in. The body now exudes pecu-
liar odor, which recognized IS seldom for
gotten. The pustules now dry and flatten
and from them Rows an icherouS fluid.
which eoneretes into brownish yellow
crust, which for weeks undergoes the pro-
cess of desiccaton or shedding. Between
the appearance of one, two Or three pus-
tues, and an almost universal mass of sup
purat;on all over the body. there is every
possible grade and degree of the affection
The rule is that smallpox attacks tho same
individual but once, but there ara recorded
instances of duplicate and even triplicate
cases.
Treatment-As this belongs to the prov
ince of the intelligent physician, it would
be out of place to discuss 1t here. 1t is
enough for me to say that the main princi-
pies are complete isolation, thorough yen-
tilation and cleanliness cooling drinks dur
inc fever and nourishiIs diet during con-
valesence.
Origin and hstory-Thc lecturer is one
of that number who believe its origin is
recorded in the ninth and tenth verses of
the ninth. chapter of Exodus. Philo, q
Jew. who wrote the life Of Moses, III the
tenth century, maintains tA.s opinion
Hebrew scholors declare that the original
Hebrew, IN which these verses were penned
is still more strongly expressive Of the
character of smallpox. 1t was KNOWN in
China 1922 years before Christ, and called
by the "celestials " taition. "venom from
the r.cther's breast" The BrahmipS, of
Hindoostap. claim that it was known TO
tom from remotest antiquity. Thucy-
dides, in his story of the Pelopenessian war
describes it and says it was introducodinto
Greece from ETHIOPIA. Homer, the Greek
poet recitcs that
son mules and dogs the infection first
begin,
Andl left the vengeful arrows fixed in man.
Livy, the Roman historian, gives accounts
AZ some eight or nine terrible visitatlous OF