Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-06-28

We frequently hear it said that this terrible
scourge is of comparatively recent origin
that it was never heard of until within the
last half century, etc. But friend hands us
copy Of Belknaps History Of New Hamp-
shire, published in l79l, from which it ap-
pears that the disease appeared in "A most ma
lignant form as carly as lI3j-one hundred
and forty three years ago:
about this time the country was visited with
a new epidemic disease, which has obtained
the name of the throat dstemper. The gen
eral description of it is II swelled throat, with
white or ash-colored specs, an efllorescence on
the skim great debility Of the whole system,
and strong tendency to putrdity. Its first
appearance was in May, 1885, at Kingston in
New Hampshire, an inland town. situated on
a low plain The first person seized was
child, who died in three days About week
after in another family at "a distance of four
miles, three children were successfully at
tackled, who also died on the third day. 1t
continued spreading gradually in that town
ship, through the summer, and of the first
forty who had it, none recovered. In August
it began to make its appearance at Exeter,
six miles northeastward and in September at
Boston, fifty miles southwark, though it was
September before it reached Chester. the
nearest settlement on the west of Kingston.
1t continued its ravages through the succeed
ing winter and spring, and did not disappear
till the end of the next summer On its first
appearance in Boston il was supposed to be
nothing more than common cold but when
the report of the mortality in New Hampshire
was received. and young man from Exeter,
whose brother died of it, was seized October,
1880, the house was shut and guarded and a
general alarm spread through the neighbor-
ing towns and colonies Upon his death no
infection was observed in that house or neigh
borhood but the distemper appeared in 9th
er places which had no communication with
the sick. The physicians did not take the
infection nor convey it to their families nor
their other patients. 1t was therefore con-
cluded thaSit was not like the smallpox, or
the plague, communicated by infection from
the sick or from clothes; and the physicians
having by desire of the selectmen, held n
consultation. published their opinion, that it
proceeded entirely from some occult quality
in the air
"The most who died of this pestlence were
children and the distress whichit occasioned
was heightened to the most poignant degree.
From three to six children were lost out of
some families several buried four day, and
many lost their all. IN some towns one in
three, and in others one in four of the sick
We're carried Off In the parish of Hampton
Falls it ragged most violently. Twenty fam
lies buried all their children Twenty
persons were lost ont of five families; and
more than one sixth part of the inhabitants
of that place died within thirteen months.
In the whole Province not less than one thou
sand persons, of whom nine hundred were
under twenty years of age, fell victims to this
raging dstemper.
Since the settlement of this country such
mortality had not been known. The sum
mer of l73j, when the sickness began, was
unusually wet and cold, and the easterly wind
greatly prevailed. But it was acknowledged
to be not "A creature of the seasons as it
ragged through every part of the year. It's ex-
tent is said to have been from Pemaquid to
Carolina; but with what virulence it ragged,
or in what measure it proved fatal to the
southwark of New England, does not appear.
The same distemper has made its appearance
at various times since. In 1854 and 1903 it
produced great mortality in several parts of
New Hampshire, and the neighboring parts
| of Massachusetts,. Since that time it has ell
ther put on milder form, or physicians have
become better acquainted with it, Its re-
mote, predisposing cause is one of those mys-
teries in nature which battle human inqui-
| ry >"